Articles by James Wood

Renters (Reform) Bill has its first reading in the Lords

The Renters (Reform) Bill took another step closer to completion this week as members of the House of Lords got their first chance to debate the legislation. No amendments are put forward at second reading, but debate did give indications of the type of changes that are likely to be put forward by Peers at committee stage.

Section 21 appeal could have major implications for landlords

A second appeal has been granted in the case of D’Aubigny v Khan - in which the Court of Appeal will rule on whether it's acceptable for vital documentation to be served by post. The appeal could have major implications for private landlords. Head of Policy James Wood explains more.

Renters (Reform) Bill - the student ground

With the Government's Renters (Reform) Bill scheduled to be debated in the Lords next week the NRLA's head of policy James Wood investigates the detail of the Bill in a new series of articles. This week he takes a look at how the changes will affect student landlords.

Renters Reform Bill: where are we now?

The Renters (Reform) Bill has finally made its way into the House of Lords from the Commons, after nearly a year in Parliament. The protracted passage saw a number of new amendments added and it now seems likely that it will become law before the election. But what do these changes mean? The NRLA's head of policy James Wood takes a deep dive.

Court fees to rise next week

Court fees will be increasing by 10% from next Wednesday. The increase, which follows a consultation year, applies to almost all fees payable to the court.

Are more landlords selling up? Evidence from the courts

The question of whether landlords are exiting the market is a contentious issue even for official statistics. Here the NRLA's head of policy James Woods takes deep dive into the data – and looks north of the border to examine the impact of legislation change on the number of landlords selling up.

Does your local authority tell tenants to wait for a bailiff? An update

Since the NRLA raised the issue of councils telling tenants to wait for the bailiffs when served with a Section 21 notice, we have been inundated with member stories. We have now submitted a list of local authorities to Government.

The long read: What might Labour's version of rental reform look like?

With speculation rife that a general election will happen in May, many will be wondering what will happen to the Renters (Reform) Bill should Labour come to power. Here NRLA policy manager James Wood takes a deep dive to examine what we could expect to see.

Does your local authority tell tenants to wait for the bailiff?

Renters Reform: NRLA pushing for vital amendments to notice periods

Challenging proposals to allow tenants to give notice as soon as they take on a new tenancy will be a key part of the NRLA’s ongoing rental reform campaign. Under the current plans tenants will be allowed to give two months’ notice at any point during the tenancy, meaning tenants could sign an agreement then immediately give notice – a practice some landlords fear could turn the PRS into ‘Airbnb-lite’. NRLA Head of Policy James Wood takes a look at this and other amendments the NRLA is campaigning for.