Date Published 07 July 2023
New measures are being discussed to extend the Renters Reform Bill to specifically outlaw any rental listings banning families and benefit recipients from applying. Also, there are talks whether to include Scotland and Wales but currently if the Bill came to law, it would only be applied to England.
The Scottish Government spokesperson added that any joint approach 'must include a close examination of the UK government's decision to freeze Local Housing Allowance rates at 2020 levels for the third year running", saying affordability was "the far more significant barrier to accessing a privately rented home".
An investigation conducted by the BBC found thousands of adverts for rental homes which said that children or pets were not welcome. Almost a quarter of 8,000 ads examined on OpenRent said families were not allowed to rent homes, while 300 on Zoopla said children were not wanted.
We have not seen any movements in the slow progress of the Bill through the House of Commons. To keep up to date with where the Bill is at, there are various stages which are required so that it can become law. These are the First Reading, Second Reading, Committee Stage, Third Reading, and finally Royal Assent.
Currently the Bill online states that it has moved from the First Reading to the Second Reading, however there has not been any set date for the Second Reading. This is despite the First Reading happening within hours of the Bill being published back in May. It is considered unusual for a Bill to take this long to move from a First to Second Reading.
With the current schedule, the forecast for the Royal Assent could be earliest late this year or early 2024. For any new tenancies it would take at least six months to implement the new changes set by the government. Existing tenancies will be given a further twelve months' notice to convert to the new system. In conclusion even once the Royal Assent is granted it is likely to be at least 18 months before ongoing tenancies are required to move onto the new regime.
If you would like any more information about the Renters Reform Bill, please send us an E-Mail back.
