What’s troubling landlords about the proposed changes?
Three in four landlords, or 75.4%, have expressed significant concern about the proposed abolition of Section 21 ‘no fault’ evictions, according to a survey by buy-to-let lender Landbay.
The survey found that landlords’ primary worry is losing control over their properties, particularly their ability to remove problematic tenants. Many landlords see the ability to evict tenants under Section 21 as essential for maintaining control of their investments.
“Abolition of Section 21 is completely wrong,” one landlord commented. “Landlords need to be able to take back control of their property once the fixed-term Assured Shorthold Tenancy (AST) has expired.”
“It’s a catastrophe for landlords,” another respondent said. “It takes away any control of the property from landlords.”
The proposed abolition of Section 21 ‘no fault’ evictions is part of the government’s recently introduced Renters’ Rights Bill. Deputy prime minister and housing secretary Angela Rayner said the legislation aims to “rebalance the relationship between tenant and landlord and end no-fault evictions – for good.” Housing minister Matthew Pennycook stated that the government aims to implement the new rules before next summer.
The proposal to ban no-fault evictions was originally introduced under the previous government’s Renters’ Reform Bill but was delayed by the general election. The new bill seeks to enhance tenant security by ending arbitrary evictions while introducing expanded possession grounds to allow landlords to reclaim properties when necessary.
Unlike the earlier bill, the new legislation does not make the abolition of Section 21 contingent on improvements to the court process. However, landlords have expressed concern about the capacity of the court system to handle possession claims, which could increase as landlords rely more on Section 8 grounds to regain control of their properties.
“To have any faith in these proposals is to be naive regarding the capacity of the British court system to handle the workload in a reasonable time,” a survey participant said.
“The courts are already overwhelmed,” another added. “They need to cope before the bill is implemented.”
The National Residential Landlords Association has echoed these concerns.
“Rent reform has long been on Labour’s radar and formed a key part of its election manifesto,” said Rob Stanton (pictured), sales and distribution director at Landbay. “We knew this would be a priority for the new government and it looks like it plans to move quickly. Nonetheless, our research shows that landlords have significant concerns about the new bill, particularly around ‘no fault’ evictions.
“While no decent landlord will object to tenants being treated fairly, they argue that the property owner deserves the same rights. We have to hope that, as the bill starts its long journey through parliament and the House of Lords, amendments are made to create a fairer piece of legislation that doesn’t negatively impact supply or rent for tenants.”
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