Government must use time to get rental reform right for landlords and tenants

Responding to the Government’s commitment in the Queen’s Speech to publish a White Paper later this year on reform of the rental sector, Ben Beadle, Chief Executive of the National Residential Landlords Association said:

“We welcome the Government’s commitment to publish a White Paper on reforms to the rental sector and consult widely before introducing a Bill.

“What is proposed amounts to some of the biggest changes in the private rented sector for over 30 years. We urge the Government and all others in the sector to use the time they now have to ensure that the reforms are fair and workable for both tenants and landlords.

“This must include comprehensive grounds upon which landlords can legitimately repossess properties, the development of a new tenant-landlord conciliation service to help sustain tenancies wherever possible and court reform to ensure possession cases are dealt with much quicker than the year or more currently being taken.

"Lifetime deposits for tenants provide an opportunity to reduce the upfront cost of renting, but they need to work for all concerned."

“We welcome also the Government’s ambitions to drive out bad landlords from the sector without penalising those who do the right thing. We want to root out all those who bring the sector into disrepute.”

-Ends-

Notes:

• The NRLA’s proposals for the Renters’ Reform Bill can be accessed at: https://staging.nrla.org.uk/download?document=1231.
• Details of the Government’s proposals for the sector can be found on page 113 at: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/985029/Queen_s_Speech_2021_-_Background_Briefing_Notes..pdf.