An activist group says any future Labour government should introduce a beefed-up version of the Renters Reform Bill – whether or not the Bill itself is passed by the Conservative administration in the coming months.

The London Renters Union says Labour should commit to introduce a Section 21 eviction ban immediately, rather than waiting for court reforms as advocated by the current government.

It also says that in-tenancy rent caps should be introduced to “protect renters from eviction via unaffordable rent increase” and that tenants should be exempt from eviction under new rules – such as a landlord moving in or selling up – for two years, rather than six months.

The LRU also calls for unspecified “deterrents and enforcement preventing the abuse” of any revised eviction rules. It also wants “longer notice periods” – again without specifying what these should be.

The National Residential Landlords Association has already analysed Labour amendments to the existing Renters Reform Bill with a view to assessing what a future Labour government might do.

It says Labour’s proposed amendment to the current Bill would see the removal of Section 21 notices coming first, with court reform something that looked at after implementation. 

Simultaneously Labour apparently has concerns about new grounds – suggested in the current Bill – regarding the grounds for a beefed-up Section 8. Its proposed amendments include calls to change the grounds in which a landlord intends to sell or move family member into the property, so that landlords cannot use it in the first two years of a tenancy, and it also wants to increase the notice required to four months from two. 

Labour also want the landlord to offer the property for sale to the tenant before the sale ground can be used, and the introduction of a ‘hardship test’ to some mandatory grounds, providing the courts with discretion to refuse a possession order if they believed greater hardship would be caused to the tenant than the landlord.  

Labour has also tabled amendments to strengthen the financial penalties for failing to sign up to the proposed Property Portal, and requiring landlords notify the Portal where they serve a possession notice. 

The Renters (Reform) Bill already restricts landlords in relation to rent rises, by prohibiting the use of rent review clauses. Instead, landlords must give a Section 13 notice with at least two months notice if they plan to increase the rent. 

Under Labour amendments, if the proposed increase is challenged by the tenant, a Tribunal would only be able to set the rent at the amount proposed by the landlord or lower. In addition, it also proposes rent increases would only take effect two months after the tribunal had made its decision.