Renters could pay a “heavy price” for the Conservatives’ “foot-dragging” on banning so-called no-fault evictions, Labour has warned.
Keir Starmer’s party says tens of thousands of tenants have been kicked out of their homes since the government promised change – as the proposed legislation is finally due before MPs on Monday.
Michael Gove’s Renters Reform Bill – which includes the proposal to ban section 21 so-called no-fault evictions – is due for its first appearance in the Commons on Monday.
Some Tory MPs worried it will hit landlords’ ability to rent out properties have indicated they vote against the bill, with speculation dozens of backbenchers could rebel against Rishi Sunak’ attempt to pass legislation.
But Labour fears that the bill could get caught in endless delay, since the government has vowed to make it easier for landlords to repossess properties from anti-social tenants – and speed up court processes – before agreeing to ban section 21 evictions.
In a response to the levelling up committee, Mr Sunak’s government said it would not bring in “the abolition of Section 21 until stronger possession grounds and a new court process is in place”.
Labour’s shadow housing minister Matthew Pennycook said “improvements could take years” because of the huge backlog currently clogging up the courts – warning that could amount to “an effective deferral of the abolition of Section 21”.
Deputy leader Angela Rayner accused the Conservatives of “foot-dragging”, adding: “There can be no more dither and delay in ending no-fault evictions.”
Ms Rayner said her party welcomes the “long-awaited” Bill, but “will look to strengthen it to ensure it meets the scale of the housing crisis this Conservative government has created”.
Deputy leader Angela Rayner accused the Tories of ‘foot dragging’
(PA Wire)
Labour claims that 71,310 households have had to leave their homes due to section 21 notices since April 2019, and that 21,332 households have had bailiffs kick them out.
The Renters’ Reform Coalition is warning Tory MPs that polling shows one in four of their 2019 voters live in the private rented sector, and that their support for the party is “now in free fall”.
The campaign group, made up of some 20 organisations including Shelter and Crisis, also claims is polling shows “broad public support” for the Bill. Some 72 per cent of respondents support a ban on section 21 evictions.
It said that among the one in four 2019 Tory voters who are private renters, only 47 per cent now say they intend to vote for the party at the next election.
But Tory MP Marcus Fysh tweeted on Monday: “I’ll vote against the Renters’ Reform Bill today … The Bill would reduce supply of rental properties, meaning more inflation. Drop it.”
Ex-cabinet minister Jacob Rees-Mogg has also urged Mr Sunak to “drop” the “landlord-bashing” bill. “It is unpopular with Tory MPs and the whips’ office apparently advised against it,” he wrote in the Mail – arguing that regulating free contracts was a “socialist belief”.
The National Residential Landlords Association (NRLA) has warned “uncertainty” over the future of the bill has made it “difficult for landlords and renters to plan for the future”.
It has said that if the bill fails to secure the confidence of landlords, then the “shortage of homes will only worsen, ultimately hurting renters”.
Housing minister Rachel Maclean said: “We are delivering our manifesto pledge to create a fairer private rented sector for tenants and landlords, ending no-fault evictions and strengthening landlords’ rights of possession on issues like anti-social behaviour.”
She added: “While Labour are shouting from the sidelines, only the Conservatives are taking the long-term decisions needed to deliver a more secure rental market for tenants and landlords.”
The Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities (DLUHC) has previously said the Bill will “deliver a fairer private rented sector for both tenants and landlords”.