An activist group supporting renters is calling for the final two months of a tenancy to be rent-free in a bid to help moving costs.

The idea comes from Generation Rent, which has come out in strong support of the new Renters Rights Bill promised by the Labour government in this week’s King’s Speech.

The activists want more than the likely two years “protected” period before a tenant can be evicted, and eviction notice periods doubled to at least four months. “Unwanted moves are also very costly and stressful. Providing financial support to move, such as by waiving the final two months’ rent, would alleviate some of this burden” says Generation Rent in a briefing note on what it wants in the new legislation.

It also calls for a string of other actions against agents and landlords, including:

– Rent increases to be limited to the lower of wage growth or consumer price inflation;

– Outlawing so-called ‘bidding wars’; 

– No additional costs for tenants who keep a pet under the expected change in lettings regulations permitting more pets in lets. Generation Rent says it fears being “ripped off” by agents and landlords charging pet insurance;

– The expansion of the idea of a national register of landlords to include EPC data, gas safety information and unspecified “rent data”;

– Allowing tenants to claim rent back through a Rent Repayment Order as an incentive to report apparent non-compliance in rental properties.

Generation Rent says it broadly supports the other provisions widely expected to appear in the Bill, such as the scrapping of Section21 eviction powers, applying a Decent Homes Standard to the private rented sector, applying ‘Awaab’s Law’ to the sector, a new ombudsman service for the private rented sector, and making it illegal for landlords to discriminate against tenants in receipt of benefits or with children.