The government is set to introduce a bill in the Commons this week which will finally ban landlords in England from evicting tenants without a reason.
Ministers are expected to bring the Renters’ Rights Bill for its first reading. It will also give tenants the right to request a pet.
A ban on Section 21 evictions has long been promised but repeatedly delayed under the previous Conservative government.
The bill will aim to give renters greater protections and crack down on a unscrupulous landlords.
It is understood that Section 21 evictions, used by landlords to evict tenants with two months’ notice and without any reason needing to be given, will be banned immediately after the bill becomes law – rather than waiting to check whether the court system would be ready to deal with new cases , as the previous government proposed.
There are concerns that abolishing Section 21 evictions will increase pressure on the courts, as landlords will need to go through a legal process to regain possession of their properties when they have legitimate grounds to do so.
The bill would also seek to give renters greater rights to challenge rent increases and introduce new laws to end the practice of rental bidding wars by landlords and letting agents.
It would also expand Awaab’s law – named after the toddler who died after exposure to mould in his family’s social rented home – to the private sector, requiring landlords to fix hazards within a certain timeframe.