Uncertainty surrounding Renters’ Rights Bill timelines

Despite pressure from the Labour whip to hurry the Renters’ Rights Bill through the House of Lords, no space has been made for it in the debate schedule in June, according to the UK Parliament website.

Once again, questions are being asked about the expected timeframe for the Bill’s finalisation and Royal Assent into law.

Nevertheless, some experts still predict a midsummer deadline. Labour may want to get the Bill out of the way before the parliamentary summer recess, during which neither the House of Commons nor Lords will convene for several months.

The last leg

With the Committee stage completed on 15th May, the Report stage is next. This will serve as another opportunity for peers to propose intricate amendments to the Bill.

After a Third Reading in the House of Lords, the Bill will be sent back to the House of Commons for another round of reviews and revisions, before it receives Royal Assent and officially enters UK law.

Considering the previous urgency, the prioritisation of more niche debate topics, such as AI in creative technologies and support of the British crafts industry, may seem counterintuitive.

Of course, the Labour government have very little direct control over the House of Lords’ self-regulated schedules. Many peers were critical of how the committee stage was rushed at the insistence of the Labour whip.

It is likely that Labour want to get the Report stage done as quickly as possible, as was the case for the Committee stage, but the peers’ willingness to stand their ground against governmental pressure means that Labour may have to wait patiently.

Peers all going on a summer holiday

In the lead-up to July, MPs often rush to get their favoured legislation through parliament before both the Commons and Lords break up for summer recess.

But is the Renters’ Rights Bill likely to get through parliament in this tight timeframe, especially since the Report stage has been delayed by a month now?

Several legal experts still believe it is possible since there are only a few stages left, which may only take a few days to complete – when they eventually get around to the debates, of course.

Ben Beadle from the National Residential Landlords Association (NRLA) said on the matter:

Whether or not it’s before July or into September, I think a lot of what the sector are craving certainty over is when actually is it going to take effect from? When do we need to start doing anything? And I think our best bet there is feasibly the New Year.

Regardless of when the Bill officially comes into law, it may take some more time for every policy to be fully implemented. Industry experts expect that it could take up to an additional 12 months for this to happen.

Despite Labour’s eagerness to get rid of Section 21, they may still have to take a staggered approach to implement some policies due to the large number of statutory instruments (secondary legislation used to plug gaps in the primary legislation) that will be needed for them to be workable.

Unknown impact on the courts system

In closely related news, a Justice Impact Test was conducted for the Renters’ Rights Bill. This establishes the impact a new piece of legislation would have on the courts system. It takes projected volumes of tribunal cases and legal aid changes into account, among other factors.

When asked, Baroness Taylor of Stevenage from the Ministry of Housing refused to reveal the result of the test to Reapit, the real estate software company:

Justice Impact Assessments are internal government documents which are not routinely published, and therefore I should note that we will not be able to share them with [Reapit].

Although this prompted suspicion, results from Justice Impact Tests are indeed rarely published. However, Reapit’s commercial director believed it would be in the public interest to disclose this information, especially for landlords.

The government’s decision not to share the Renters’ Rights Bill Justice Impact Test raises serious questions about transparency and accountability. The estimate of changes in the number of court and tribunal cases is a vital tool for understanding how the legislation will affect the property sector – including case volumes – and whether the justice infrastructure is in place to support the change.

With limited time left for parliamentarians to scrutinise the Bill, the refusal to publish this information will stifle meaningful debate. Landlords, tenants, letting agents and legal professionals all need clarity to assess how the Renters’ Rights Bill will impact their operations and access to justice.

If the test results were resoundingly positive, Labour may have been eager to let everybody know. As it stands, the impact of the Bill on the justice system will have to be seen when it’s eventually put into action.