Labour’s shadow housing secretary and deputy leader Angela Rayner says her party will scrap Section 21 on its first day in office, if it wins the next General Election.
In an interview with the i online newspaper, Rayner has also said that Labour would be putting forward an amendment to the Renters’ Reform Bill to try to force the ban on S21 evictions to automatically become law “with no caveats.”
She also says her party would review the Right to Buy policy for council and social homes in England to make it “fair” to both council tenants and taxpayers, ban “feudal” leasehold home ownership, ensure existing budgets to build council and social housing were spent, and begin work on a series of new towns during the first term of a future Labour government.
She also reiterated that first time buyers would get ‘first dibs’ on new builds, courtesy of a mortgage guarantee scheme.
However she has ruled out rent controls, telling I: “The blunt tool of hard rent caps is not going to solve the problem. More supply is going to solve the problem. We see it all the time: if something is in short supply, the price goes up … I don’t want the good landlords to go out of the market.”
In the interview - which was published over the weekend but took place some days earlier - Rayner claims her team can implement policies because it has the support of their backbenchers. However, the I points out that the Gaze Ceasefire vote last week saw eight shadow ministers resign - including Mary Foy, Rayner’s own parliamentary private secretary.
In the lengthy piece about the interview, Rayner is quoted as saying of her housing brief: “If we get in, we know it ain’t gonna be a box of roses. It’s hard. It’s a challenge. But we’re up for it. Unless we start fixing these fundamentals, there is just going to be a spiral of decline … Everything’s broken, creaking at the edges.”
She says that before announcing substantial ‘new money’ for housing related policies, she wants to ensure existing budgets are fully and properly spent - a reference to Housing Secretary Michael Gove revealing £1.9 billion in unspent money from his department recently.
You can see the whole article here, although for some readers it may be behind a paywall.
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I don’t want the good landlords to go out of the market.”
We already going cya
I can’t get out quick enough.
😂 😂 👍
Ban Section 21 on her first day? If it looks like her gang will win, tenants will be flooded with S21 notices before the election.
I think it is the older landlords who let property when the 1977 Rent Act was in force or prior to that period who are most likely to serve Section 21 notices to quit before the general election. They have had experience of what security of tenure for tenants actually means. There are some younger landlords who have listened to the current narrative regarding beefing up Section 8 etc and have a different perspective.
Angela Rayner has previously said that the Renters Reform legislation is a good START. Does she think that introducing the provisions of The 1977 Rent Act are a good idea? That Act gave tenants long term security of tenure, introduced rent regulation and permitted the tenancy to pass to tenants' children and grandchildren when the tenants died.
In terms of the rent regulation, the tenants had the right to register for a fair rent. That meant that their rent went down. Once they did that, that was the only rent those tenants could be charged.
With the proposed new system it may be the case that rents are "registered" on the new property portal, and are controlled that way. Something along those lines was said when the Parliamentary Committee took evidence in connection with the Renters Reform Bill.
There were possibilities of ending a 1977 Rent Act tenancy. There were mandatory grounds and discretionary grounds. Mandatory grounds included cases in which owner occupiers needed to recover possession because they had left their house while living abroad or where they had bought a property to retire but rented it out in the meantime.
Selling the property was not a ground, and properties had to be sold with tenants in them. The sale prices were very low.
Needless to say, landlords were not prepared to let their properties if they would be caught by the provisions of the 1977 Rent Act.
Landlords may be "caught" now if their existing tenants suddenly gain security of tenure if Labour wins the next election. Those secure tenants will then be given more rights.
Oh they will win 🆘🆘
Maybe not Simon , 1996 Major v Kinnock everyone thought labour would walk it, Starmer isn't too much different to Kinock really is he? but even so we would still have the conseratives in name only who are as bad as labour
@ Andrew. Yes, I remember Katastrophe Kinnock who then buggered off to a nice trough at the EU and becoming a Lord. Talk about **** floats!
I will certainly not be voting Labour and the faux-conservatives do not deserve my vote so I am voting REFORM UK. Yes, I know there will be cries of you are letting Labourn in, well so be it. This current crop of Tories do not have my respect and cannot claim my vote on the grounds of, "We are bad, but the other lot will be worse".
Annoyed. I am similar as in Tories must be better than Labour. I am torn. Half says Tory which I don't want as they are basically Labour. Other half says REFORM. Even just to get the Tories out, for them to purge the left (Michael Gove) and come back as Tory again.
There isn't a party which is representing our interests. We will have to protect ourselves one way or another.
Even Reform hasn't come out and said that they are opposed to tenants gaining full security of tenure.
We don't have any organisation representing us either.
The Tories are to blame for starting this renters reform process. I can't see any justification for it. The 1977 Rent Act only was brought in because it consolidated the rights that tenants had gained as a result of the measures introduced due to the Second World War including rent controls on all unfurnished properties - and extended the rights to furnished properties.
It's terrible to think the Tories started all of this.
I'm not selling because Labour are getting in, to me the Tories are just as bad. I am also not panicking. You can still evict tenants if section 21 is abolished as you have the right to sell your property, or move family members in.
I'm selling due to Section 24, currently I cannot balance the books, as I would like, so need to pay down the debt, not far to go now just 2 more properties.
Depending how the next Government is and how my tenants are will determine what I do with my remaining 4 properties.
I am getting fed up with Landlord bashing, but it's all the red tape that is causing me time and frustration and often dwindling my investment.
I still do not intend to evict good tenants.
As for voting, without doubt Reform Party and I do not care what their policy is on housing, currently. I want the madness of Labour and the Tories to stop,
A major problem is that selling could be a discretionary ground, not a mandatory one. Landlords in Scotland have been having difficulty with using that ground.
The Conservatives need to alter their approach NOW on periodic tenants - perhaps switch to fixed term tenancies in their legislation. They need to do something to stop tenants being told to leave and landlords having their businesses destroyed.
She’s ready to start placing lots of money up the wall. Ruling with an iron fist. Not listening to anyone. She’s not the right person to be in this job. Little education or relevant experience (like many others I know).
Brainless and There’s a BIG empty space in her head.
"We know it ain’t gonna be a box of roses"
She can't even get that phrase right. And banning Section 21 on first day in office? Isn't there something called called "legislashun"
( Raynerspeak) which will need to go through Parliament?
Thank god eight out of thirteen gone with the rest to follow soon.
"Wot?" would be her first though reading that!
Bless her little red socks, Labour are going to hit the wall quicker than she realises. Every Union is going to be demanding a significant pay rise, then they'll have to deal with the lunatic fringe protestors now of course some are being orchestrated by Labour but others are being funded by overseas supporters who won't go away, Old Soros was just this week part of the Break up Britain meeting in Scotland and so Labour are going to have him to contend with as well as his looney SNP and Green mates. The young are going to learn rapidly why us older folk voted again and again to keep Thatcher in power....
Someone should explain to Rayner “life is like a box of chocolates.” And there ain’t no guarantees. Especially a home for life from a private landlord.
I truly give up! Is this really the best we can do for one of our leaders? I would worry about her being a deputy manager in a pound shop let alone the country.
Agree - I am truly disappointed. I was young in the 80s and 90s. but I remember Thatcher and other MPs. They all seemed like a better bunch of people. More moral fibre. Less distraction with trash like Twitter or X to contend with.
SO labour is still dreaming to win the elctions? Poor guys
Oh well, I guess selling or "moving in relatives" will become the de facto method of getting back properties. Say hello to rent rises, tenants vetted to the nines, preferably ones with a goal of moving on to permanent accommodation such as buying their own place, and the very much intended effect of discouraging any new investment whilst existing landlords leave.
Labour has made no secret of this, it’s what’s to come that really scares me 🫣🫣😱😱. Evictions ban 🥵🥵
I have a property empyy at the moment. Reacted after the White Paper. did my best to clear the trash before an eviction ban came in.
Head Full Of Magic that one....!
For Rayner read Abbot.
Both dead set on ruining the country just like last time.
I predict that the loss of section 21 will create a landslide of evictions prior to labour making it law, as landlords exit the market for good. This will lead to a severe housing crisis which will allow the government to announce emergency measures such as no evictions and tenant in situ sales only. Those who gloat at what a comeuppance this will be for landlords have no conception of the disaster it will be for tenants. The obvious result will be a few protected tenants and a vast sea of would-be tenants with no homes to rent.
I have evicted one lot of tenants out of fear of an emergency ban that doesn't get lifted until the RRB comes in. It's disgusting how landlords are treated.
As per what happened in the1970/80s Nic when properties to let especially in London were virtually non existent for fear of being straddled with a sitting tenant on controlled rent.
Delusional Rayner says "force the ban on S21 evictions to automatically become law “with no caveats.”.
That means we cannot sell as empty properties. What if we or our wish to move in? Most of my properties are student lets, so they only stay 1 to 3 years. I prefer them to leave each year as maintenance can be resolved every year. However, a couple of properties let to professionals will need to be ideally sold within a year. So S21 notice will need to be given, as I wish to sell as empty properties to owner/occupiers. Rayner will do a lot of damage within a year if labour come into power. She may be forced to resign. She would take on a lot more than than she can chew and will end up feeling sick.
Does "no caveats" mean that landlords will not be able to give notice to student tenants?
It sounds like that.
She should rent out the empty space in her head, get a couple of boat loads in there
You would get them in her mouth that's big enough
I can think of bigger places she has to rent out (and no doubt has already done so in her past)....
That's a bit naughty Nick But I expect her pea sized brain is in there as well
Andrew, whatever do you mean? Perhaps Baldrick many have rented the pea brain paying with one of his turnips.
Not on Nick!
You bring yourself dishonour Sir.
Greg - You are right. I have shown complete dishonour for Baldrick. For that I apologise.
Whenever Angie makes a comment about protecting tenants rights it results in another couple of thousand Section 21s being served, if Starmer doesn't tell her to shut it there'll be no tenants left for her to protect.
Sequestration of property!
Haven’t they made a great job of looking after Tenants already,.
So far they have driven up Tenants Rents 30% they must be chuffed and that’s if they haven’t been made homeless.
How gullible and Stupid they take them for.
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