ao link
Twitter
Facebook
Linked In
Twitter
Facebook
Linked In

You are viewing 1 of your 1 free articles

Morning Briefing: reaction to proposed scrapping of Section 21 evictions

News15.04.198.45 AM by Peter Apps

The government has taken a bold step in its housing policy this morning, by unveiling plans to scrap Section 21 evictions, a move widely covered this morning

Linked InTwitterFacebookeCard
Picture: Getty
Picture: Getty
Sharelines
Morning Briefing: reaction to proposed scrapping of Section 21 evictions #ukhousing

In the news

The government has unveiled surprise plans to scrap Section 21 evictions, which we cover here. Section 21 evictions are used in the private rented sector to bring a tenancy to an end after a fixed term of six months or a year. They are also known as ‘no-fault’ evictions because the landlord doesn’t have to give a reason and have been widely linked with homelessness.

We run an exclusive comment piece by housing and homelessness minister Heather Wheeler explaining the decision here.

In it she says: “This will effectively create open-ended tenancies, bringing greater stability and peace of mind to millions of families who live in rented accommodation, while providing certainty to responsible landlords by creating a more secure rental market in which to remain and invest.”

This story is widely covered across the media this morning including on the BBC, The Guardian, The Times and Sky News.

The Guardian describes it as a “tenant rights victory” in its headline, while The Times reports it as “a radical move to protect tenants”.

The Guardian also runs an interview with a woman who has had three such evictions in six years and talks of the mental health trauma that has resulted.

The Times runs a leader that supports the move. It calls it “long overdue” and says “the current rules are among the most heavily skewed in favour of landlords of any major jurisdiction”.

READ MORE

Open-ended PRS tenancies: the quickest change of government housing policy in recent memoryOpen-ended PRS tenancies: the quickest change of government housing policy in recent memory

In other news, ITV reports on calls for the housing element of Universal Credit to go directly to landlords, a move supported by Scottish Labour.

Some figures from Rightmove suggest that the long Brexit delay could boost the housing market by persuading some sellers who had been hesitating to sell.

As the Conservative leadership race hots up, contender Dominic Raab has published proposed housing policies in the Sunday Telegraph that include plans to offer tax breaks to landlords to sell their homes to tenants.

“Having served as housing minister, I saw that challenge first-hand – and understand the radical reforms a pioneering Conservative government must deliver, to give working Britain a fairer deal,” he says.

Politics Home also reports on the move, which it describes as a “mini housing manifesto” and a “veiled rebuke” to Theresa May.

For more on what the leadership contenders may think on housing, you can listen to a podcast here:

On social media

In reaction to the Section 21 news, Jules Birch notes the speed of the U-turn:

Generation Rent hails victory:

As does Shelter boss Polly Neate:

One former Section 21 evictee chips in:

And as ever, Nearly Legal is hot off the blocks with a take on what it really means:

Morning Briefing
Linked InTwitterFacebookeCard
Add New Comment
You must be logged in to comment.
RELATED STORIES
By continuing to browse this site you are agreeing to the use of cookies. Browsing is anonymised until you sign up. Click for more info.
Cookie Settings