Tories set to water down rental reforms after ‘handing control to landlord MPs’
Tory ministers stand accused of handing decisions on vital reforms to boost renters' rights to their landlord backbenchers.
It came after claims the Government is consulting with Conservative MPs over WhatsApp on watering down a five-year old commitment to abolish no-fault evictions in England. Introduced by Maragaret Thatcher's government, the measure, also known as "Section 21 notices", allows landlords to evict tenants on a whim and without reason.
The Housing Secretary Michael Gove has previously committed to ban no-fault evictions by the general election - but the Renters' Reform Bill has still not passed the Commons. According to the BBC, draft amendments to the legislation with proposed changes have been circulated on a WhatsApp group of concerned Tory MPs - some of whom are landlords.
One amendment includes putting it in law that the ban on no-fault evictions could not be implemented until there is an assessment on its impact on the courts. Labour's Angela Rayner said: “Rishi Sunak must give cast-iron public assurances that he won’t give-in to vested interests on his backbenches and rip up his promises to renters."
Campaign manager at the Renters' Reform Coalition Tom Darling said: "It is scandalous and farcical that the government are now outsourcing the writing of the Renters (Reform) Bill to their landlord backbenchers. It reeks of desperation.
Teachers, civil servants and train drivers walk out in biggest strike in decade
"They don't want to be seen to have reneged on their promise to deliver a better deal for renters, but with the ban on Section 21 even further into the long grass, and the suggestion they are looking to 'lower the burden on landlords' to provide safe housing, England's 11 million private renters will struggle to come to any other conclusion."
Generation Rent group also said the change would result in the no-fault eviction ban being "kicked into the long grass".
Chief Executive Ben Twomey said: "It is unacceptable for tenants to be treated as an afterthought around reforms which we were told would help us.
"We will not stand by while the new law to protect and empower renters is transformed into a Landlord’s Bill of Rights. If the government really is going to water down the Bill even further, England's 12 million private renters deserve to know why."
Labour's Deputy Leader and Shadow Housing Secretary Ms Rayner added: "This is yet another betrayal of renters by the Conservatives, and yet another example of Rishi Sunak's weakness which means he always puts party before country.
"Having broken the justice system, the Tories are now using their own failure to break their promises to renters in the most underhand way. The government must give a statement to Parliament today. Fourteen years of Tory failure have failed renters. Labour will ban no fault evictions, no ifs no buts."
A Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities spokesman said: “Our landmark Renters (Reform) Bill will deliver a fairer private rented sector for both tenants and landlords. It will abolish section 21 evictions – giving people more security in their homes and empowering them to challenge poor practices. We continue to meet regularly with a range of groups, representing all those in the private rented sector."
Read more similar news:
Comments:
comments powered by Disqus
