HAVE YOUR SAY: MPs open probe into renting reform White Paper’s proposals

MPs have launched a probe into the government’s planned private rented sector reforms.

The Levelling Up, Housing and Communities Committee is calling for landlords, tenants and local councils to comment on proposals set out in the recent Fairer Renting White Paper so that it can suggest improvements.

Its inquiry will scrutinise the government’s plans to introduce a decent homes standard for the private rented sector, reform the system of tenancies and abolish no-fault evictions, reform the grounds on which landlords can take possession of their properties and better protect tenants from unfair rent increases.

Proposals to set up a new ombudsman, ways to speed up the court process and clamp down on landlords who refuse to let to benefit claimants will also be studied.

Balance struck?

Some of the questions it wants landlords to consider include: do the proposals for reforming tenancies, including the abolition of Section 21, strike the right balance between protecting tenants from unfair eviction and allowing landlords to take possession of their properties in reasonable circumstances? And what impact, if any, will the reforms have on the supply of student homes in the general PRS?

Committee chair Clive Betts says private renters can be the victim of a power imbalance with their landlords, subject to unjustified hikes in rents and the fear of being forced out of their accommodation.

He adds: “It’s welcome that the government has come forward with its White Paper and, as a committee, we are keen to examine how effective the proposed reforms will be in protecting tenants and ensuring the success of the private rented sector in providing homes.”

The closing date for written submissions is 19th August, with evidence sessions likely to start in September.