The National Residential Landlords Association says it wants a speedy implementation of the Renters Reform Bill to avoid uncertainty – and it insists a compromise does not mean either side should be regarded as ‘losing’. 

The BBC says amendments have been circulated to MPs who want changes to gauge their views ahead of the Bill going tonics next stage – the Third Reading in the Commons. One of those MPs told the BBC: “Agreement seems to have been reached on nearly all points.”

This includes enshrining in the Bill that the abolition of Section 21 will take place, but only after improvements have been made to court processes – something which Housing Secretary Michael Gove had announced some months ago. 

There are also suggestions that the amendments include reducing the burden of evidence when landlords seek to evict anti-social tenants; ending selective licencing schemes from councils when a national register proposed in the Bill serves the same purpose; requiring tenants to commit to at least four months in a property before giving notice; and protecting student HMO landlords from periodic tenancies deemed inappropriate for tenants at college.

Commenting on BBC reports, NRLA chief executive Ben Beadle says: “We have long accepted that the government has a mandate to end the use of fixed term tenancies and no-fault repossessions. Our focus has, and continues to be, on developing a replacement system that is fair and workable for tenants and responsible landlords. This need not be a zero-sum game between the two.

“The NRLA has consistently campaigned for the Bill to balance the protections promised to tenants and the legitimate business needs of landlords to enable them to continue to provide rented homes.

“If the government is considering amendments that would provide for assurances to landlords with a six-month minimum term and ensure confidence for all in the court process, then that balance would be struck. 

“We now need to see these amendments published in full so that all parties can judge for themselves what is on the table and move on with debating the Bill in public. The lack of progress and uncertainty about the future is destabilising and damaging for those living and working in the private-rented sector.”

In its report on the private rented sector last year, the cross-party Levelling Up, Housing and Communities Select Committee said: “The abolition of fixed-term tenancies, combined with the abolition of section 21, would undoubtedly give tenants greater security of tenure. 

“We understand the argument that fixed-term tenancies should remain available where both parties want them, but in practice, given the current shortage of private rental properties, this would likely result in tenants having fixed terms forced on them. A reasonable balance needs to be struck between security of tenure for tenants and a degree of certainty for landlords. 

“We therefore recommend that tenants be unable to give two months’ notice to leave until they have been in a property for at least four months. This will give landlords the legal certainty of at least six months’ rent at the start of a tenancy.”