The Renters’ Rights Bill is expected to pass the committee stage in the House of Lords very soon, and could be within just a few weeks of becoming law. But agents still have time to prepare, with the government committing to a transition plan when the bill passes.
The government is trying to get the bill through the Lords quickly. In the latest such development, Labour peers were told to attend a late session on 14 May to wrap up the committee stage. Opposition politicians criticised the government for trying to cut short scrutiny of the bill, but a spokesperson for the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government said it was normal for debates to continue after hours – and that the Lords have already had the bill for four months.
What changes have the Lords made to the Renters’ Rights Bill?
Members of the House of Lords proposed a long list of amendments when the bill arrived in their chamber. However, most of these have not been moved forward to debate as there was no likelihood of them passing.
Baroness Taylor, the government’s Housing Minister in the House of Lords, said that delaying the abolition of Section 21 to assess court capacity (as called for by many industry professionals) was unnecessary. Additionally, the retention of fixed term tenancies for student HMOs and purpose-built student accommodation will not be extended to other student housing.
Amendments aimed at strengthening tenant protections in the bill were also rejected. The government has reconfirmed that it will not introduce rent controls, and a bid backed by housing charity Shelter to make all Section 8 eviction grounds discretionary was also knocked back. An amendment that would have made landlords pay compensation to tenants if they evict them to sell or move into the home has also not been moved forward.
However, Baroness Taylor did make some commitments to opposition politicians and the industry. While the bill’s impact on the court system won’t be reviewed, she said the government is working with the courts and the Ministry of Justice to increase capacity. She also said the government would have a transition plan in place for when the bill is passed, but didn’t give details on how long implementation would take.
When will the Renters’ Rights Bill become law?
Once the committee stage is completed, the bill proceeds to the report stage. This usually begins 14 days after the committee stage ends. At this point, the Lords will vote on any amendments that have been added at the committee stage. After that, it will receive a third reading in the Lords, and then be sent back to the House of Commons to consider the bill as amended.
If politicians across both houses work quickly and agree on the amendments made by peers, they could still get the details of the bill confirmed by the summer, but it may only be passed into law this autumn. What isn’t clear is when the clauses in the bill will be implemented. Parliament will go into recess on 22 July and only reopen in September. They will also have to work around the Whitsun recess from 22 May to 2 June.
