What 'uncertainty' over Renters Reform Bill means for tenants

A ban on "no-fault" evictions will be indefinitely delayed, the government has announced, despite promising to abolish the practice four years ago. 

The Renters Reform Bill, proposed by the Conservative Party in its 2019 manifesto and published in May, was debated in the Commons on Monday. The proposed law would ban so-called no-fault evictions – a landlord's right to evict a tenant with no reason, with only two months' notice. 

But the ban will not happen until the government decides "sufficient progress" has been made to update the court system, according to a report from the Department of Levelling Up, Housing and Communities (DLUHC). Housing secretary Michael Gove told Tory MPs that the ban would not be enacted before "a series of improvements'' were made. Downing Street "has not put a timescale on how long the promised reforms will take to achieve", said BBC News. 

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The decision, originally reported by the National Residential Landlords Association (NRLA), "appears to be a major concession at the end of the final working day before the Second Reading" of the bill, according to Letting Agent Today. The "indefinite delay" followed "extensive lobbying" from landlords, said openDemocracy, and is a "huge blow" to renters just days before Gove is set to give the keynote speech at the NRLA annual conference. 

What is the Renters Reform Bill?

Drawn up by Gove, the Renters Reform Bill aims to protect renters by abolishing Section 21 evictions and giving tenants more security in their homes.

"The Renters Reform Bill will deliver a fairer private rented sector for both tenants and landlords," said a spokesman at the DLUHC. The bill would also give landlords more protection to repossess properties "where tenants are antisocial" and would allow renters the right to request a pet.

The "sweeping reforms" would be a "shake-up in the balance of power" between England's 2.3 million private landlords and their 11 million tenants, said The Guardian. 

But the proposal "angered a large number of Tory MPs", said The Daily Telegraph, who see it as "anti-landlord" and claim it would "exacerbate the shortage of private rented accommodation".

Tory MPs who own rental properties were considering rebelling against the government over the bill, according to the paper. They would be "among a flood of landlords leaving the market" if the prime minister goes ahead with the "unconservative" policy, rebels told the paper. The government tried to "defuse a revolt" by encouraging potential rebels to skip or abstain from the vote on Monday. 

Research by campaign group 38 Degrees earlier this year found that 87 MPs earned an income from residential property, of whom 68 were Conservatives: about a fifth of Tory MPs.

What are no-fault evictions?

Under Section 21 of the 1988 Housing Act, landlords can evict tenants without reason, with only two months' notice. In 2019, the government pledged to ban the practice. 

New research by City Hall revealed on Monday that almost 300 London renters have faced no-fault evictions every week since 2019. London mayor Sadiq Khan warned that the government delay in banning no-fault evictions had taken a "devastating toll" on Londoners, and that thousands of people would be at risk of homelessness if the bill is delayed into next year. 

No-fault evictions in England between April and June this year increased by 41%, compared with the same period in 2022, according to latest Ministry of Justice data. 

Last week, a group of 30 charities and non-profit organisations warned that delaying the ban on no-fault evictions would cause "more avoidable hardship and suffering" and a "greater cost to the taxpayer". 

What has the response to the delay been?

The Renters Reform Coalition, a campaign group that has been pushing for a ban on no-fault evictions, called the announcement a "last-minute concession to keep the Conservative Party together".

Labour's shadow housing secretary Angela Rayner accused the government of "betraying" renters with a "grubby deal". 

The NRLA warned that "uncertainty" over the bill had made it "difficult for landlords and renters to plan for the future". 

"As they consider the bill, MPs and peers will need to make sure it secures the confidence of responsible landlords every bit as much as tenants," NRLA chief executive Ben Beadle said.

"Should the bill fail to secure the confidence of landlords, the shortage of homes will only worsen, ultimately hurting renters."