Background
On 22 May, Prime Minister, Rishi Sunak MP, announced that a general election (GE) will take place on 4 July.
Parliament ended before the Renters (Reform) Bill could complete its passage, meaning it will not become law. It will now be up to the next Government to decide what shape reform of the private rented sector will take.
As political parties publish their manifestos and set out their vision for the private rented sector (PRS), we will regularly update this hub to keep you informed. We will also publish the NRLA’s own key asks for the PRS - a bold vision to boost rental supply, retain landlord confidence, and ensure accessible justice for both landlords and tenants.
About the Campaign
The NRLA is campaigning to ensure the Government’s plans to reform the private rented sector are fair and workable for both landlords and tenants.
We have identified several areas of concern within the Government’s proposals for rental reform that need to be addressed to ensure landlords have the confidence to remain in the sector.
We are calling on the Government to:
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End the anti-landlord rhetoric and back the majority of landlords providing good quality homes to rent.
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Address issues that will arise in the student housing market as a result of the plans to introduce periodic tenancies.
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Establish firm principles as to how local authorities and the police will deal with anti-social tenants.
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Reform the courts before the removal of Section 21 to tackle lengthy waits for possession.
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Abolish local licensing once the new Property Portal is introduced.
Our Impact
Following extensive campaigning by the NRLA, we have successfully influenced and shaped the Government’s proposals for rental reform.
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We engaged with high level officials at the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, providing evidence at Government-led roundtables and select committee sessions.
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The Housing Minister Felicity Buchan MP stated that she shares the NRLA’s view that landlords’ right to repossess must be protected – and backs our stance on anti-social behaviour and the need for exemptions for student landlords when it comes to the abolition of fixed term tenancies.
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Our concerns and proposals about rental reform have been quoted in numerous select committee hearings and Westminster debates, as well as cited in several House of Commons research briefing papers.
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Following engagement with student representative bodies and organisations from across the higher education sector, we secured wide-ranging support on the impact the Government’s proposals for reform will have on landlords operating in the student housing market.
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In 2020, we produced our own White Paper ‘A New Deal for the Private Rented Sector’, which subsequently led the Government to recognise the need for court reform to ensure landlords are able to gain possession of their properties in an efficient and timely manner.
Get Involved
Find out if your local MP supports the Government’s proposals for rental reform by writing to them.
You can write to your MP using our online tool. Once you are logged into your membership account, the tool will automatically find your MP and ensure your letter follows parliamentary protocol.
Either write your own letter or copy and paste text from our template letters into the online tool and personalise it if you wish.
You can download the template letters by clicking the ‘MP Template Letters’ document below.
MP Template Letters
Last updated: 12/12/2023 at 13:56 - 109.10 KB
Rental Reform - MP Engagement Toolkit
Last updated: 15/07/2022 at 11:36 - 99.43 KB
Research
A New Deal for the Private Rented Sector
Last updated: 23/08/2021 at 15:00 - 2.23 MB
Decent Homes and The Private Rented Sector
Last updated: 23/05/2022 at 14:03 - 962.61 KB
Latest articles
Prime Minister's policy team in talks with NRLA
Boris Johnson's policy team has held talks with the NRLA on its proposals for reform of the private rented sector. Johnson's team questioned the NRLA on proposals for a National Register of Landlords, a move the association believes is unnecessary and would create yet more red tape.
LSE pinpoint landlords' tax disadvantage
The NRLA commissioned the LSE to draw out the implications of recent tax changes and the Covid pandemic for the private rented sector. The study also benchmarks the tax demands placed on landlords compared to their peers in other developed economies. Mainly as a result of changes since 2015, the authors conclude about the taxation system: "[It] now lies at the ungenerous end of the spectrum...of landlord tax regimes."
Housing minister in talks with NRLA
Housing minister Chris Pincher met with NRLA Chief Executive Ben Beadle this week to talk about funding to tackle Covid-related arrears and the long-awaited white paper on rental reform.
Property MOTs: A licensing alternative?
The NRLA recognise the advantages adopting of a so-called Property MOT could bring as a replacement for the myriad of local licensing schemes. Using safety certificates, rather than local authority inspection, the MOT is seen as a mechanism to drive a uniform approach to standards. This incorporates current, necessary checks on gas and electrical safety as well as a range of less frequent checks such as EPC rating.
The Welsh Enforcement Index: The Persistence of Inconsistency
In late 2020, the NRLA (National Residential Landlords Association) Research Observatory began to collect data and evidence on how enforcement powers available to Welsh local authorities were being deployed in the Private Rented Sector (PRS). It is intended to be a follow-up to the recent review of Rent Smart Wales by the NRLA. The focus of this study was slanted towards mandatory and discretionary licensing, and the efficient, effective and economic enforcement of existing regulations.
