Leasehold and rental reforms slated as ‘contentious’ and ‘destabilising’
The government has come under fire for its flagship housing reforms, with developments to new laws on leasehold reform and rental rights branded “contentious” and “destabilising”.
Ministers have shepherded the Leasehold and Freehold Reform Bill through the Commons, with the legislation aimed at boosting leaseholders rights now set to be debated in the Lords.
While the BBC reported Tory backbenchers are being consulted on weakening mooted rental protections, with a raft of potential changes to the Renters (Reform) Bill including making a no-fault evictions ban conditional upon an impact assessment of the court and legal backlog.
Linz Darlington, boss of lease extension specialists Homehold, said the leasehold bill’s progress had been “meteoric… so far” but described it as “clear how contentious” it is.
“The bill has lacked scrutiny as it has gone through the Commons,” he warned. “It will be interesting to see the amendments the Lords make.
“Considering the vested property interests it seems unfathomable that they’ll be less contentious or divided.”
Mid Bedfordshire Labour MP Alistair Strathern urged ministers to “end fleecehold” as he warned the “dream of a new home” had become “a bureaucratic, byzantine nightmare”.
Ben Beadle, chief executive of the National Residential Landlords Association (NRLA) also hit out at the government over reports of possible amendments to rental reform, calling for them to be “published in full so that all parties can judge for themselves what is on the table”.
“This need not be a zero-sum game between [tenants and landlords],” he said. “The lack of progress and uncertainty about the future is destabilising and damaging for those living and working in the private-rented sector.”
While Liberal Democrat MP Helen Morgan urged Rishi Sunak “to stick to his word, and ban no-fault evictions”.
And shadow housing secretary and Labour’s deputy leader Angela Rayner called for the Prime Minister to make “cast-iron public assurances that he won’t give in to vested interests on his backbenches and rip up his promises to renters”.
A Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities spokesperson said: “Our landmark bill will deliver a fairer private rented sector for both tenants and landlords. It will abolish section 21 evictions – giving people more security in their homes and empowering them to challenge poor practices.”
They added that the leasehold bill “will make the biggest changes to leasehold for a generation and will improve homeownership for millions across England and Wales.
“We are introducing measures to make estate management companies more accountable for how homeowners’ money is spent. These will include legislating to ensure freehold homeowners who pay estate rent charges have the right to go to property tribunal to challenge the reasonableness of charges.”