The Renters’ Rights Bill had its second reading in Westminster last Wednesday (9 October) and will now move on to the committee stage in its journey through parliament.
It represents the new Labour government’s first step toward reforming the housing sector and aims to rebalance the power between private renters and their landlords. By providing greater security and protections for renters, the bill will create a fairer and more sustainable rental market.
The state of private renting has a profound impact on hundreds of thousands of UNISON members both in their personal lives and in their roles as public service workers.
The housing system as a whole also has a huge effect on public services and their ability to function – these can range from public service workers being unable to live near their workplaces due to high housing costs, to poor quality accommodation causing ill health and putting a strain on the NHS and other essential services, to homelessness placing financial burdens on councils through increased need for temporary accommodation.
The Renters’ Rights Bill began life under the previous Conservative government but had been watered down to provide no real reform. UNISON has been working closely with Labour on the issue of housing and in its new form the bill will introduce a series of protections for tenants on periodic tenancies.
Notably it will also ban ‘section 21 no-fault evictions’ making it illegal to evict tenants without a valid reason. No-fault evictions are a particularly large cause of homelessness.
Other measures include:
longer notice periods
protected periods within the tenancy
limited rent increases
a new dispute resolution ombudsman
greater landlord accountability.
UNISON housing policy officer Sylvia Jones said: “The Renters’ Rights Bill offers a much-needed opportunity to address the ongoing rental crisis and protect the rights of millions of private renters.
“For far too long, private renters have faced significant challenges, including rising rents, constant fears of being evicted and poor living conditions.
“UNISON is committed to advocating for the rights of its renting members and shaping rental policy to create a fairer and more equitable housing market. The Renters’ Rights Bill represents a significant step forward in achieving this goal.
“However, while the bill is a positive step, it falls short of fully addressing the broader issues of supply, accessibility and affordability, as well as other concerns around insecurity and standards.
“As such, UNISON is calling on the government to strengthen the bill through a number of different measures.”
UNISON has been lobbying government and MPs – you can read our full brief to MPs on the bill – and wants to see the bill strengthened in a number of ways:
longer eviction protection – extending it to two years
stronger measures to prevent backdoor eviction techniques
introducing a system of rent controls
eliminating discriminatory practices which create barriers to renting for marginalised communities like Right to Rent checks, and excessive up front rent requirements
strengthen enforcement powers through a properly resourced and funded database to track rental properties and ensure that landlords are complying with the law.
Ms Jones added: “Our members have shared their struggles with obtaining decent, affordable, secure and safe homes near their workplaces.
“As our recent report with Generation Rent demonstrates, many have faced discrimination in accessing housing and experienced outright refusals from private landlords to carry out necessary repairs, which risked their health and wellbeing.
“So, it is right that the government are moving so quickly on housing and private renting and this bill is a step in the right direction. UNISON will continue to push the government to go further and take additional steps to create a fairer rental market and improve the quality of life for millions of renters across the country.”
The article A step in the right direction first appeared on the UNISON National site.
Comments are closed.