Earlier this month, in her speech to the nation, the queen announced radical reforms to the private rented sector, by way of the renters reform bill. This bill was first mooted in 2019 and could see it's way into legislation in Autumn 2021. The abolishment of section 21 (no tenant fault) requires the landlord to serve at least 2 month's notice in order to vacate tenants in residency.
The removal of s.21 is yet another change that landlords will need to grapple with, in what already is a tough market, which has been been made even worse by Covid-19.
Landlords have been hit hard by the pandemic but have continued to support tenants through this crisis. The NRLA are lobbying the government to do more to support landlords by way of grants and loans.
The abolishment of s.21 has been received with much criticism, however it's nothing to be worried about, so long as possession rights for good landlords with legitimate rights to repossess property are strengthened. The government needs to have an open dialogue with the industry ensuring their voices are heard in such reforms.
Commenting Ben Beadle, Chief Executive of the National Residential Landlords Association said; " We welcome the Government’s commitment to publish a White Paper on reforms to the rental sector and consult widely before introducing a Bill.
“What is proposed amounts to some of the biggest changes in the private rented sector over 30 years. We urge the Government and all others in the sector to use the time they now have to ensure that the reforms are fair and workable for both tenants and landlords.
“This must include comprehensive grounds upon which landlords can legitimately repossess properties, the development of a new tenant-landlord conciliation service to help sustain tenancies wherever possible and court reform to ensure possession cases are dealt with much quicker than the year or more currently being taken.
Watch this space for more updates.
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