Victory for landlords as peers compromise on Renters’ Rights Bill policies

Amendments have been made to the Renters’ Rights Bill that offer compromises to some of its most controversial policies.

The National Residential Landlords Association (NRLA) has hailed these changes as a positive result of their recent pressure campaigns against the bill.

It seems that the government are also willing to accept that the Renters’ Rights Bill will still be a work-in-progress long after it has been established in law, because they have agreed to publish reviews of the bill’s impact two years – and then five years – after its implementation. 

Pet deposit

The recent reports of landlords having to pay for any damages caused by pets led to widespread backlash. As such, House of Lords peers accepted an amendment which would allow landlords to take an additional pet deposit worth three weeks’ rent before a tenant takes residence in a privately rented property. 

Lord De Clifford, a crossbencher unaffiliated with any political party, said that this amendment was better than the initial proposal for pet insurance, which was “money never to be returned, regardless of whether a claim is made or not”.

The NRLA released this statement:

We have repeatedly warned that landlords do need to be able to guard against the risk of damage caused by pets. Having recognised the need to reduce these risks, the Government’s recent decision to remove landlords’ ability to require pet insurance raised immediate concerns.

In response to this an amendment was proposed by Lord de Clifford, which would enable landlords to take an additional ‘pet deposit’ of three weeks’ rent where a pet request is accepted. 

The NRLA said they were pleased to see peers echoing their arguments.

Re-letting

Additionally, another amendment was accepted that halves the restrictions on landlords being able to re-let their homes after taking back possession, from one year to six months. 

In its original state, the Renters’ Rights Bill would have prevented landlords from using the “for sale” ground (1A) to take back control of their properties and stopped the re-letting process for 12 months. Many perfectly liveable homes would have been left empty, and landlords would have missed out on months of rent. 

The restriction being eased is good news and indicates peers are listening to landlords’ concerns – some of them, at least.

Gatekeepers at the Commons?

However, while this is reassuring news for landlords, doubt remains that these amendments will be remain in place when the bill returns to the House of Commons.

Without government support, it may be possible for MPs to revoke these amendments before the bill is finalised and ascended into law. 

The clock is ticking faster than ever for the Renters’ Rights Bill. The Third Reading in the House of Lords is scheduled to conclude on 21st July. We will continue to keep you informed of how it progresses through parliament, and whether Labour can get it to Royal Assent before the MPs break for the summer recess.