Renters’ Rights Bill moves up to Lords
The Renters’ Rights Bill has been given its First Reading in the House of Lords, meaning it is now ready or Peers to debate.
The Bill was passed up from the Commons on Tuesday when a number of Government amendments, including changes to the amount of rent landlords can take in advance, the student ground and licensing rules were passed by MPs.
The Second Reading debate in the Lords is listed to take place in just over a fortnight’s time, on 4 February.
The NRLA is leading a coalition of industry bodies objecting to the amendment concerning rent in advance, and is now briefing peers about the potential impact of the change – arguing it will make it harder for certain groups of tenants to find homes to rent.
NRLA members were invited to attend a webinar on Wednesday in the wake of Report Stage and Third Reading in the Commons, with the NRLA policy team and Doug Hall of mortgage brokers 3MC outlining the potential impact of the proposed changes – including the new amendments – on landlords and their businesses.
A recording will be available to members within the next few days and can be accessed here.
Next steps
Now that the Bill has reached the House of Lords it will progress, as it did in the Commons.
Should the Lords make any amendments, the Bill will return to the Commons, where both Houses will engage in a "ping-pong" process until they reach an agreement.
Once both Houses approve the final version, the Renters’ Rights Bill will be sent for Royal Assent, before becoming law.
After that, secondary legislation will need to be published to fill in details of key elements of the Bill before it comes into force; for example, secondary legislation will be needed to confirm what must be included in all periodic tenancies.
This is expected to be this summer, although it could be earlier.
More information
- You can keep up to date with all the developments of the Renters Rights Bill, by accessing our exclusive member Hub here.
- Extra dates have been added for our new Renters’ Rights course, after training sessions sold out in record time. For more information and to book click here.
- Be sure to follow us on social media and sign up for our newsletters for all the latest news and updates on the Bill and its progress.
