You are viewing 1 of your 1 free articles
Housing secretary Robert Jenrick has vowed to introduce more protections for renters to ensure they do not lose their homes when the eviction ban is lifted next month.
Yesterday Mr Jenrick told parliament that he hopes further announcements would be made in the coming weeks to help renters at risk of eviction.
Answering a question from Bath MP Wera Hobhouse on whether protections for renters would be put in place before the eviction ban is lifted on 23 August, Mr Jenrick said: “For several weeks I have been in exactly those sorts of conversations with the lord chancellor who holds the relationship with the judiciary and with the master of the rolls.
“The lord chancellor has already set out some initiatives today and I’m hopeful that further announcements will be made shortly to provide exactly the kind of protection that she’s asking for.”
His comments come on the day the government was accused of “sneaking out” legislation that sets out what the rules for evictions would be after the ban is lifted.
Under amendments to emergency coronavirus protections for renters first introduced in March, landlords will now be required to inform courts in writing that they are to reactivate stayed eviction cases and provide a full history of rent arrears prior to, rather than at, the hearing.
Landlords will also have to include details about the renter, such as information about disabilities, social security position or whether the tenants have had to shield for a significant amount of time.
Housing minister Chris Pincher said that this legislation, published on Friday, would be added to. Fielding questions from shadow housing secretary Thangam Debbonaire, Mr Pincher said: “The government had brought forward an array of measures to support hard pressed renters.
“My right honourable friend, the lord chancellor, is about to introduce a measure that will make it very difficult for those landlords that do not bring forward good cause in bringing their application to court by describing what the effect on their tenant is going to be of an eviction, then the courts will be able to adjourn those actions.”
He added that the measures brought in by the government had already protected 8.6 million households during the COVID-19 pandemic.
However, Ms Debbonaire said the ban ends on 23 August and the government has failed to take steps such as scrapping Section 21 no-fault evictions or give courts discretion in arrears cases.
Mr Pincher accused Ms Debbonaire of being under pressure from the left-wing of the Labour Party to write off all rents and said that Labour’s plan for renters was “pie in the sky”.
Also yesterday, thinktank The Smith Institute published a report authored by former chief ombudsman Lewis Shand Smith which argued that consumer protection for private renters is poor compared with the energy, telecoms and financial services sectors.
It said major reforms are needed to give renters greater protection and consumer power, including a new ‘private rented sector regulator’, new open-ended tenancies and compulsory Housing Ombudsman memberships for private landlords.
Already have an account? Click here to manage your newsletters