A number of amendments to Labour’s flagship Renters’ Rights Bill have been recently proposed as it passes through the House of Lords. One of the key amendments recommends that landlords with fewer than five properties should still retain the right to issue a Section 21 Notice to retake possession of a property, given that such landlords would not have the financial capacity to fund legal proceedings otherwise.
Further amendments proposed include retaining fixed term tenancies up to 12 months, linking rent rises to inflation and requiring the Government to state within 6 months what county court resources it will make available in order to deal with the increase in Section 21 Notices being served should it be abolished. One amendment takes this further by suggesting a delay until a review is carried out.
There is no indication at this stage whether these amendments will be passed.
The Renters’ Rights Bill, which includes banning Section 21 so called ‘no-fault evictions’ and fixed term tenancies, has passed through the House of Commons and is due to be debated by the House of Lords at the Committee stage later this month. To understand the main points of the Bill you can read an earlier article here: https://www.northwooduk.com/st-albans-estate-agents/articles/renters-reform-bill-explained
