Below is a breakdown of the section of the Kings speech covering the bill, Kindly prepared by Toby Martin of Propertymark.
A number of undertakings are revealed, including a delay in abolishing section 21 until courts are ready (but no timescale is given) and "digitisation" of courts, which we are concerned may be a barrier where both sides are litigants in person, unless help in preparing court documents can be provided.
The highlights;
Abolish ‘no fault evictions’, increasing tenants’ security. We will not commence the abolition of section 21 until stronger possession grounds and a new court process is in place.
Strengthening landlord grounds for possession, adding new mandatory grounds for possession; for example, if landlords wish to sell property or for repeated serious rent arrears, as well as expanding grounds for when close family members wish to move in.
If a tenant breaches their tenancy agreement or damages the property, landlords will be able to evict them in as little as two weeks.
Introducing stronger powers to evict anti-social tenants.Tenants who are persistently disruptive should be evicted –
The Bill will seek to halve the delay between a landlord serving notice for anti-social behaviour and eviction, with landlords able to make a claim in the court immediately.
We will also broaden the criteria for disruptive and harmful activities that can lead to eviction.
Ending blanket bans on pets. Tenants will have the right to request a pet, which landlords cannot unreasonably refuse.
Allowing Landlords to require insurance to cover potential damage from pets.
Creating a digital Private Rented Property Portal to bring together key information for landlords, tenants, and councils.
Landlords will quickly be able to understand their obligations and demonstrate compliance.
Councils will be able to use the Portal to target enforcement where it is needed against a minority of unscrupulous landlords. Tenants will be able to access helpful information when entering tenancies.
Supporting quicker, cheaper resolution when there are disputes - preventing them escalating to costly court proceedings – with a new Private Rented Sector Ombudsman that will provide fair, impartial and binding resolution, reducing the need to go to court.
Make it illegal to have blanket bans on renting to tenants in receipt of benefits or with children – so no family is discriminated against, while landlords will retain the final say on who they rent to.
Squeeze out criminal landlords who undercut the responsible majority– making it easier for councils to target enforcement action and arming them with further enforcement powers.
Protect the student market. We recognise that the student market is largely cyclical and that landlords must be able to guarantee possession each year for a new set of tenants. We will introduce a new ground for possession to facilitate this.
Speeding up the courts process so landlords can quickly regain possession of their property if a tenant refuses to move out. We will align the abolition of section 21 with reform of the courts. We are starting work on this now, with an initial commitment of £1.2 million to begin designing a new digital system for possessions.
As work progresses, we will engage landlords and tenants to ensure the new system supports an efficient and straightforward possession system for all parties.
Scrapping proposals to require landlords to meet EPC C from 2025
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