Housing minister claims Renters’ Rights Act ‘will work for agents and landlords’

Housing minister Baroness Taylor (main image) has claimed that the Renters’ Rights Act will work for landlords, letting agents and tenants including that the banning of Section 21 ‘no reason’ evictions will still enable the eviction of troublesome tenants ‘if and when necessary’ via the new modified Section 8 notice process.

The Baroness, aka Sharon Taylor, who is the Government’s housing minister in the Lords, made the comments in a recorded statement played to delegates at this week’s NRLA conference in Liverpool.

During the recording she also acknowledged that the vast majority of landlords already provide good-quality homes and services, adding that the Act will deliver a modern system that ‘works for both parties’.

Also, echoing her Commons’ counterpart Matthew Pennycook she both confirmed that rent controls are not the way forward, but vowed to ensure fair practice in the private rental market by ending rental bidding and rental discrimination.

Renters’ Rights Act

Ben Beadle, Chief Executive of the NRLA, adds: “It was a pleasure to meet with so many of our excellent NRLA members at the Exhibition Centre Liverpool.

“We were delighted to hear from Baroness Taylor acknowledge the NRLA’s hard work in ensuring the Renters’ Rights Act works for landlords and tenants alike.

“Most of all, the event was a reminder of why we do what we do — to ensure the rental market works efficiently for responsible landlords and tenants.”

But Taylor did not tackle one of the key areas of concern about the Renters’ Rights Act – namely that ongoing long delays at many courts particularly in London mean many agents and landlords are waiting up to six months to evict tenants in arrears, and that promised measures to speed up legitimate repossessions including digitalisation of the court process have yet to materialise.