Renters’ Rights Bill – Progression Update

In our previous article on the Renters’ Rights Bill (‘the Bill’), linked here, we examined the new draft legislation which was introduced into Parliament on the 11th September 2024 and is anticipated to become law by Summer 2025.

The Bill was further heard in the House of Commons on the 14th January 2025 where several amendments were made. In this article, Darcey Black, Trainee Solicitor in the Housing & Regeneration (Litigation) Department, has considered and summarised the key updates the Social Housing Sector will need to be aware of.

As acknowledged in the previous article, the Bill is anticipated to bring in the abolition of Section 21 Notices. Discussions are now said to be taking place for these changes to be rolled out first to the private rented sector, to allow regulators of Social Housing to revise tenancy standards and provide clear guidance. Further, this has now been confirmed to follow a statutory consultation period before Social Landlords are impacted.

Limitations are to be set on rent in advance which will prevent landlords from requiring more than one month’s rent ahead of time. Such a measure hopes to help break down potential financial barriers but could influence usual practices for Social Housing Providers who rent out properties on monthly tenancies, where an initial rent payment is taken to cover the first part-month and up to the end of the following month.

If and when Section 21 Notices are removed, concerns in regard to the potential of Courts becoming overwhelmed by the possible influx in possession claims under grounds such as Section 8 were highlighted and various potential methods to streamline such through specialist agencies were suggested. Any potential issues processing cases could severely impact Housing Management functions, particularly if delayed cases involved circumstances such as ASB or arrears, leading to further negative consequences for both Social Landlords and the communities which the unwanted behaviours impact upon.

Parliament is continuing to debate the finer points of amendments, some of which seek to deal with some of the more unusual situations where Section 21 has been legitimately used by Social Landlords for housing management reasons.  One potential amendment is the proposed new Ground 6ZA, put forward by Angela Rayner MP – this would be designed to indirectly regulate the provision of alternative accommodation when tenants are decanted during redevelopment works.

The Bill is now to be progressed to the House of Lords where additional discussions may lead to further amendments alongside developments in proposed mechanisms to both implement and manage the changes. As many of these amendments must strike a delicate balance between being technically effective as well as achieving policy aims, we can expect a lot more refinement before the final text of the Bill begins to take shape. When approved at this stage, the Bill will return to the Commons to be given final sign-off before receiving Royal Assent.

Yet again, look out for more updates and commentary from us in due course upon further progressions.  In the meantime, if you require any further information on the changes discussed, please contact our Housing and Regeneration