Exclusive:
Deputy PM and Housing Secretary Angela Rayner hails a ‘new dawn’ for millions of tenants as she vows to right the unfairness of the sector with new renters’ rights laws
Everyone deserves a decent, safe and affordable home. But too many working people can no longer count on this.
Changing this feels especially urgent as winter bites and temperatures plummet – all just after the Christmas period when friends and families have come together in celebration.
I am proud that this Labour Government is starting the New Year with something to really celebrate – a new dawn for 11 million people renting privately. This week we bring our landmark Renter’s Rights Bill back to Parliament. And as part of this, we’re putting an end to landlords demanding thousands of pounds in upfront costs that leave renters struggling or locked out of housing altogether.
Currently there is no limit on how many months’ rent a landlord can ask for in advance. But under our plans, landlords will be limited to asking for up to one month’s rent in advance once a tenancy is agreed.
At the same time, we are changing the rules to stop landlords and agents chasing grieving families for rent due after the death of a loved one – despite being aware of their tragic circumstances. This breaks my heart, which is why I am putting an end to this heartless practice once and for all.
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This Government was elected to deliver change and, together with other measures to abolish “no fault” evictions and end rental bidding wars, these are huge changes that will transform the lives of millions of renters up and down our country.
They are a fundamental part of our Plan for Change that will raise living standards, put money in people’s pockets and put politics back in the service of working people. It’s about time.
In the five years since the last Government promised to make the system fairer, over 100,000 households have faced a no-fault eviction, with 26,000 facing eviction last year alone. Not only has this left families living in fear of being uprooted, but also forced to live in cold, rotting, damp homes, not daring to complain in case they get evicted and end up homeless.
Most landlords do right by their tenants. But with a safe and secure home out of reach, we see the human cost of hundreds of thousands of families pushed into temporary accommodation and young people stuck at home, unable to move out and move on.
That’s why we’ve wasted no time in tackling this broken system and strengthening rights and protections for renters by introducing this Bill within our first 100 days in office. I know how much these reforms will mean to tenants who, having lived so long with insecurity and injustice, will finally have a strong foundation on which to build.
Where the last Government dithered, delayed and watered down their promises to renters after caving into vested interests, this Government is delivering for millions of working people and changing lives.
