Renters (Reform) Bill second reading: NRLA secures widespread media coverage

With news that the Government has finally brought the Renters (Reform) Bill to the House of Commons for its second reading, the NRLA Communications Team has campaigned hard over the past week to ensure our members are well-represented in the UK media.

As many will know, the second reading of the Renters (Reform) Bill – the most significant legislative upheaval for the UK’s private rented sector in decades – means that the Bill published earlier this year was subject to the first stage of parliamentary scrutiny. The reading followed the Government’s earlier confirmation that the abolition of Section 21 will be paused until court reforms can be introduced which will speed up legitimate possession claims.

To ensure our members’ views were heard loud and clear across all of our target stakeholder groups, the NRLA’s Communications Team produced pro-active and reactive content for national, trade and local media which set out our position on the future of rental reform.

After issuing a press release in the run-up to second reading, commentary from our Chief Executive Ben Beadle was included in 424 items of press coverage across the UK.

In all, our spokespeople helped us secure 18 pieces of broadcast media coverage over the course of the past week. 

Most notably, our Chief Executive Ben Beadle participated in a discussion BBC Newsnight which concerned the future of the Renters (Reform) Bill (Ben’s section begins at approximately 36:43)

Throughout the week, our Policy Director Chris Norris was interviewed by a series of media outlets to expand on our thoughts about the Government’s stance with respect to the future of Section 21.

Among other interviews, Chris spoke on BBC Radio 2’s Jeremy Vine Show on this topic (his contribution begins here at around 14:13), as well as BBC Radio Five Live, LBC News, and Times Radio.

The second reading also coincided with the NRLA’s hugely successful 2023 National Conference, which saw a record number of delegates attend a live Q&A session with Housing Secretary Michael Gove.

During his contribution, Mr Gove emphasised how a healthy private rented sector is a “critical” part of the UK housing market. 

Further details on other comments made by the Secretary of State can be found here. Equally, if you’d like to learn more about our ongoing media campaign on rental reforms, email our Communications Team at [email protected].