It now appears that Labour wanted the Renters Reform Bill to be waved through into law last week - but the government said no.
The BBC reports: “Labour sources indicated that although they wanted changes, they would have supported the Bill as it currently stood.
“But a government source argued amendments from cross-bench, or independent, peers in the House of Lords meant there was not enough time to pass the legislation.”
A separate Labour source told Landlord Today that Labour wanted the Bill to become law - despite reservations over some details - because this would mean the party was not obliged to start a similar measure should it win the July 4 election.
A new Bill, should Labour win, is likely to be a fractious and uncompromising process with pro-tenant lobby groups having made strong alliances with Labour over the past year, with party supporters getting into prominent positions in the groups in question.
Housing issues did not appear on Labour’s recently-published ‘big six’ policy priorities and there has been no commitment over the weekend for Labour to make a new Bill a priority if it wins power.
However the party remains in principle in support of the scrapping of Section 21 eviction powers and other wider reforms of the private rental sector and it is thought that these commitments will feature in the Labour manifesto when it is published next week.
The Renters Reform Bill acted on a 2019 Conservative manifesto promise to abolish Section 21 evictions, but over the years became a much larger Bill, initially seen as pro-tenant but more recently amended to become workable for both landlords and renters.
Want to comment on this story? If so...if any post is considered to victimise, harass, degrade or intimidate an individual or group of individuals on any basis, then the post may be deleted and the individual immediately banned from posting in future.
Join the conversation
Re arranging the deck chairs on the titanic springs to mind
They are saying very little 🥵 other than within 100 days they will ban s21 🤔. I do have grave doubts though……..they may go 💣 Nuclear ☢️.
They are not saying much for fear of causing an increased rate of LL’s selling up! This is the only card the PRS has that just might prove influential.
But they want LL's to sell. Their plan is working. Or have I missed something?
Perhaps Labour won't be quite as keen on corporately funded high rise high rent btr developments as they are less likely to have cozy directorships already lined up?
Labours manifesto will likely cause a tsunami of section 21s issued.
The lack of noise from Labour has been deafening, all the bluster and nonsense last year has gone. Soundbites to keep Khan in a box have been made so to keep the noise down.
If the Tories had let them wave this through then the there would be Sh$tstorm coming... Labour would have blamed the Tories and and and.
Now the Tories have put the ball firmly in Labours court to deal with. It would not surprise me if they leave it alone and talk about bigger fish to fry.
Agreed. Labour are in no position to provide social homes on the scale that is needed and they know it. LL’s leaving or holding back on investment are a problem that they will not want to worsen.
We need a decent landlord lobby as NRLA have been a complete let down.
The BBC have highlighted a case today saying a tenant and her husband cannot afford to start a family as planned because their landlord has increased their rent by £300 per month and they have been forced to downsize to a one bedroom flat. No doubt Labour will take this on board and ban rent increases! They need to concentrate on building more social housing rather than tweaking the PRS.
12 months of Labour government with Angela Rayner, Sadiq Khan and Andy Burnham calling the tune and flats to let will be as rare as rocking horse droppings but no doubt BBC will be blaming those nasty landlords for wanting their property back.
Most would just start a family any way then expect benefits to pay for them
Just add Kim McGuinness for good measure, can’t beat having the law on your side .
Please login to comment