On behalf of its membership, the cross-party LGA regularly submits to Government
consultations, briefs parliamentarians and responds to a wide range of parliamentary inquiries. Our recent
responses to government consultations and parliamentary briefings can be found here.
This briefing provides the LGA view on relevant amendments tabled for the Committee Stage amendments on the Renters' Reform Bill, heard on 17 November 2023.
The LGA welcomes the long-awaited Renters’ Reform Bill which introduces a range of reforms to achieve this, including abolishing unfair Section 21 'no fault' evictions; ending the system of assured shorthold tenancies; creating a new register of PRS landlords and property portal to improve data on the PRS and drive up standards across the sector; and establishing an Ombudsman for the PRS to help tenants and landlords to resolve disputes.
The Renters (Reform) Bill is a flagship piece of legislation introduced by Levelling Up, Housing and Communities Secretary Michael Gove to deliver on the Government’s 2019 manifesto pledge to reform the private rented sector (PRS).
The LGA is concerned that a number of amendments to the Renters Reform Bill could weaken key measures, including the ban on ‘no fault’ evictions, the redress scheme and essential enforcement measures. We urge the Government to make progress with the Bill and bring an urgent end to Section 21 ‘no fault’ evictions.
The LGA welcomes the long-awaited Renters’ Reform Bill which will help to deliver a fairer, more secure, and higher quality private rented sector (PRS). The Bill introduces a range of reforms to achieve this, including abolishing unfair Section 21 “no fault” evictions; ending the system of assured shorthold tenancies; creating a new register of PRS landlords and property portal to improve data on the PRS and drive up standards across the sector; and establishing an Ombudsman for the PRS to help tenants and landlords to resolve disputes.
This briefing provides a summary of the Strategy, with a specific focus on those elements which are most likely to directly impact upon local government. The key concepts within the strategy are subject to consultation which is likely to take place from January 2019 onwards.
The LGA is of the opinion that the arrangements introduced in 2002 (Treasury Management code) and 2004 (Prudential Code) have worked well and provide a good governance framework to be followed by local authorities. We are therefore of the strong opinion that the present review should not fundamentally alter these arrangements.
General points
The LGA welcomes the principle of greater flexibility for local areas to design multi-agency arrangements that work best for their local circumstances, but we have long argued that this flexibility must be couched within a robust regulatory framework to ensure consistency of quality and effectiveness. Unfortunately, we believe that the provisions outlined in the consultation fall some way short of this ambition