"At least six months will be needed, after regulations are passed, to ensure a smooth transition to the new tenancy system. Anything less will be a recipe for confusion and chaos"
- Ben Beadle - NRLA
The government has come under criticism for failing to set out when and how it will bring forward its Renters’ Rights Bill, despite the legislation being close to receiving Royal Assent.
“We welcome the housing minister’s commitment to ensure the rental market has sufficient notice ahead of the implementation of the Renters’ Rights Bill,” said Ben Beadle, chief executive of the National Residential Landlords Association. “However, this does not provide the clarity that renters and landlords desperately need to prepare for its arrival.”
Beadle explained that without a clear timetable, the sector faces unnecessary uncertainty. “With the Bill now close to receiving Royal Assent, the Government needs to make clear how long after this it expects to begin rolling out the widespread reforms. The sector cannot operate, and plan, based on vague and ambiguous statements.”
He warned that preparation time is essential. “At least six months will be needed, after regulations are passed, to ensure a smooth transition to the new tenancy system. Anything less will be a recipe for confusion and chaos,” he commented.
Concerns were also raised over the government’s rejection of House of Lords amendments aimed at protecting the annual cycle of student rentals. “Around a third of housing typically lived in by those in their second year of study and above is one- and two-bedroom properties,” said Beadle. “Under current proposals, neither landlords nor students will have certainty that this type of housing will be available from one academic year to the next.”
The NRLA has put forward alternative measures to safeguard the majority of student housing, while still protecting the rights of non-traditional students. “The NRLA has proposed a reasonable compromise to protect the annual cycle of the vast majority of student housing, whilst also safeguarding the rights of non-traditional students that ministers say they want to protect,” Beadle explained. “Regrettably, this has been met with silence from the Government.”
He stressed that the consequences of inaction will be borne by students themselves. “Ultimately, it is students who will lose out – left unable to plan with any certainty where, and with whom, they will live at the start of each year of study,” Beadle noted.
