Generation Rent claims a proposed government amendment to the Renters Reform Bill may ‘trap’ victims of domestic abuse.

Generation Rent – which has accused the government of “watering down” the Bill – says one of the most concerning proposals would seek to bring in a four-month protected period for all new tenancies before a tenant could submit two months’ notice to leave. 

“This will mean that a new tenant will be trapped into a property for a total of six months before being able to move on” Generation Rent says in a statement.

The government has said it is exploring exemptionswhich may include when tenants have been mis-sold the property or in cases of domestic abuse. 

But the activist group says “there have been no details revealed about these suggestions.” 

It continues: “The ‘tenant trap’ threatens to force victims of abuse to remain in homes with their abusers – unable to flee or move away. Because they will be legally liable to pay the rent on the property for six months, victims and their children may have to remain in extremely dangerous situations, at the mercy of their perpetrators.

“If victims of abuse want to get out of this ‘tenant trap’ they will need to go through the courts to do it, putting the onus on survivors to fight to be free of tenancies causing them direct harm. This is completely unacceptable and must not be allowed to happen.

“Two women a week are killed by a current or former partner in England and Wales. 62% of children living with domestic abuse are directly harmed by the perpetrator of the abuse. These are terrifying figures, and we must do everything we can do to ensure that survivors are able to leave violent perpetrators as quickly and as easily as possible. Trapping renters into tenancies for six months at a time does the opposite of that.”

In addition it claims that – despite the government’s pledge on exemptions – the proposed amendment would mean “many renters stuck in poor quality, mould ridden properties, with no accountability for bad landlords who are now being guaranteed half a year’s worth of rent.”

It goes on: “The ‘tenant trap’ only works to reward bad landlords and to help perpetrators maintain control over victims of abuse. We are calling on the government to stop their plans to inflict a dangerous ‘tenant trap’ on renters across the country. They must make sure that the Bill supports and protect survivors of abuse, rather than endangers them further.”