Nadia Whittome
Labour MP for Nottingham EastIn the context of the housing crisis, Nadia Whittome MP discusses the urgent need for rent reform.
The private rented sector is out of control. Too many of England’s 11 million renters live in insecure, expensive, and unsafe homes. For years, a significant number have been barely able to afford their housing costs, while finding it impossible to put down roots or plan for the future as they’re shunted from place to place at their landlords’ whims. As the cost-of-living crisis has spiralled, this issue has become even more acute. One in three renters are now in poverty, driven by high rents and low pay.
In Nottinghamshire, the county my constituency forms part of, the number of no-fault evictions is now at its highest level on record. Generation Rent estimated that nationally, over the summer, a renter was being evicted every 15 minutes. Each eviction comes with a great deal of stress and additional costs, and many evictions result in homelessness. In fact, eviction from the private rented sector is the leading cause of homelessness in England.
The Renters Reform Bill
After years of delay, the Government has now brought forward a much-needed bill to strengthen renters’ rights. Among other measures, the Renters Reform Bill will abolish section 21 “no-fault” evictions, make it illegal to discriminate against prospective tenants who receive benefits or have children, and create a national landlord register like the one that exists in Scotland. It would also get rid of fixed-term tenancies, instead moving renters onto contracts with no end date.
At first glance, it would appear that these changes would make evicting tenants harder, as a landlord would only be able to kick people out for missed rent payments, for moving back in or selling the property, or for anti-social behaviour. The idea is that this will help renters exercise their rights and no longer be living in fear of being evicted if they complain about their living conditions.
However, there are still a number of loopholes that landlords will be able to exploit. While rent increases would be limited to one per year, people could be forced onto the streets through the backdoor by unaffordable hikes that landlords know the tenant can’t pay.
There is also the question of how soon someone who falls into arrears can be evicted. Struggling renters should be supported and given the option of affordable repayment plans, not quickly forced out if they fall behind on their rent. Some charities have also warned that allowing evictions for anti-social behaviour could impact domestic abuse victims, whose neighbours report them because of the violence taking place in their homes.
Renters who are forced out will still only be given two months before they have to leave. This is often nowhere near long enough to find somewhere new, and so the notice period should be increased significantly. Shelter are calling for a four-month notice period instead.
But even these meagre changes have now been put on ice due to internal squabbles in the Conservative Party. There were accusations in the Financial Times that “vested interests” were holding the Bill up, with the government whips’ office containing five landlords. Others argued that the delay was due to the prospect of a “significant rebellion” of Tory MPs. Time is running out within this Parliament for the Bill to make progress, and with a general election due by the end of next year, there is a real risk that it will never become law.
The change renters need
This delay means that it is even more important for opposition parties like Labour to step up – not only to fight for this Bill to be brought forward but to go far further and commit to transforming the private rented sector once and for all.
Renters cannot wait any longer for change, and the current proposals will not stop rents from skyrocketing. That’s why an immediate rent freeze and a ban on evictions should be introduced to help renters deal with the cost-of-living crisis. If Scotland can freeze rents, why can’t other parts of the UK do the same?
Essential to tackling the crisis for the long term must be a rapid, publicly funded expansion of homes for social rent – millions on low incomes currently have no other choice but to rent privately because of a severe lack of social housing. More council housing needs to be built, Right to Buy must be scrapped, and local authorities should have first refusal if landlords decide to sell their properties.
While this social housing is being built or acquired, local housing allowance has to keep pace with rent (it has been frozen since April 2020) so that those on the lowest incomes are not forced onto the street or stuck in temporary accommodation. The introduction of rent controls after the end of any rent freeze would help keep the cost to the taxpayer down, while also helping with affordability for other tenants.
While some of these measures may seem drastic, a drastic crisis calls for drastic solutions. It’s high time a government tackled the systemic root causes and not just the symptoms. The alternative is an ever-worsening nightmare of poverty and homelessness. Millions of renters deserve better.