Campaign reply - Renters Are Waiting

Thank you for contacting me about a fairer private rented sector.

I have been working locally to increase the provision of private rentals in Cornwall. I want to make sure that there is enough safe and affordable housing for everyone in our area and will continue to work with Cornwall Council, Government and other stakeholders to explore multiple options, through the planning, tax and community systems, in order to solve this issue.

I am pleased that the Government has recently published its White Paper title “A Fairer Private Rented Sector”. 

The private rented sector currently offers the most expensive, least secure, and lowest quality housing to a growing number of vulnerable people, including 1.3 million households with children and 382,000 households over 65. This is driving unacceptable outcomes and is holding back some of the most deprived parts of the country. 

Many renters face a lack of security as they can be evicted without a reason at just two months’ notice (so called ‘no fault’ Section 21 evictions, under the Housing Act 1988). This means many tenants do not challenge their landlords or agents on standards. Renters also feel that they can’t put down roots in their local areas, which does nothing for community cohesion. 

The system doesn’t work for good landlords either, the majority of whom do right by their tenants and offer them a positive, secure living situation. They lack the ability to effectively tackle anti-social behaviour or deliberate and persistent non-payment of rent. Most landlords are trying to do the right thing but simply cannot access the information they need. Further, inadequate enforcement is allowing criminal landlords to thrive, which harms tenants and reputable landlords. 

The A Fairer Private Rented Sector White Paper builds on the vision in the Levelling Up White Paper and sets out our plans to fundamentally reform the private rented sector and level up housing quality in this country. It sets the strategic direction for the PRS for the first time in a generation and demonstrates our ambition and determination to give private renters a better deal. 

The White Paper sets out a 12-point action plan of how we will deliver a fairer, more secure, higher quality private rented sector, including: 

• Giving renters safer and better value homes by requiring privately rented homes to meet the Decent Homes Standard for the first time. 
• Improving security and stability for renters and empowering them to challenge poor practice by abolishing Section 21 ‘no fault’ evictions. A tenancy will only end if the tenant ends it or if the landlord has a valid ground for possession. 
• Reforming grounds for possession to make sure that landlords have effective means to gain possession of their properties when necessary. 

A FAIRER PRIVATE RENTED SECTOR WHITE PAPER 

• Supporting people to manage their costs effectively by only allowing increases to rent once per year, ending the use of rent review clauses, and improving tenants’ ability to challenge excessive rent increases through the First-tier Tribunal. 
• Empowering tenants to resolve disputes and hold their landlord to account by introducing a new single Ombudsman that all private landlords must join. 
• Giving landlords and tenants the information they need to rent properties in the private rented sector as well as supporting local authorities to crack down on poor practice by introducing a new Property Portal for private rented properties. 
• Ending decades of discrimination by legislating to make it illegal for landlords or agents to have blanket bans on renting to families with children or those in receipt of benefits and exploring if action is needed for other vulnerable groups, such as prison leavers. 
• Giving tenants the right to request a pet in their property, which the landlord must consider and cannot unreasonably refuse. 

The Government will introduce a Renters Reform Bill in this Parliamentary session to deliver on its ambitious reforms, which will drive real change and make the private rented sector fit for the 21^st century. These reforms will apply to England only. 

Once again, thank you for taking the time to write. If you require any further assistance, then please do not hesitate to get in touch.