Ben Twomey, chief executive of Generation Rent, said: “Forcing people back into insecure and unsafe homes is not a promise, it’s a threat levelled at England’s 11 million private renters.
“Our homes are the foundations of our lives, so it is disgraceful to see Reform UK pledging to roll back new and essential protections that would improve the quality of our homes and help us to stay in them for longer.”
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Scrapping no-fault evictions, which are considered a leading driver of homelessness, is just one of a series of reforms in the Renters’ Rights Act.
The legislation also aims to boost the quality of homes through a decent homes standard and Awaab’s Law, give greater rights for tenants to keep a pet and end bidding wars between renters.
It’s been a long wait for tenants. Then-prime minister Theresa May first promised a ban on no-fault evictions in April 2019.
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Sarah Elliott, chief executive of Shelter, said the prospect of hard-fought rights being ripped away from tenants called into question where Reform stands in supporting working people.
“It should come as no surprise that a party whose leader rakes in thousands in rental income every year is fighting tooth and nail to undermine the hard-won rights of England’s 11 million private renters,” said Elliott.
“How can any political party claim to stand with working families while plotting to keep them trapped in an unfair system with threadbare rights? Scrapping these vital reforms will do nothing but condemn thousands to the hellish conditions they have endured for decades, while giving unscrupulous landlords free reign to turf renters out of their homes for no good reason.”
The Renters’ Rights Act has faced opposition from landlords and Conservative MPs who have warned that the new legislation will see many exit the market, reducing supply and driving up rents beyond current record highs.
The Renters’ Reform Coalition (RRC), an alliance of 18 leading housing and renting organisations, argued that the reforms remain popular with the public.
The group’s polling with Opinium found 70% of the British public back the end of no-fault evictions.
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Clara Collingwood, director at the Renters’ Reform Coalition, said: “Scrapping the basic protections in this act would be a huge setback for millions of renters, driving up homelessness and making life harder particularly for those on lower incomes – Reform should think again.”
Generation Rent’s Twomey accused Reform UK MPs of failing to engage with the parliamentary process and campaigners on renters’ rights.
“Reform UK had nothing to say at the debates about the Renters’ Rights Bill when it was passing through parliament,” said Twomey.
“They also haven’t spoken to renter groups like us about their plans, which would be a gift to unscrupulous landlords who are responsible for the poor conditions renters face right now.
“Renters have fought for decades for laws that give people greater security in their jobs and homes. The public widely supports the new laws to protect us, so we urge Reform UK to show renters more respect and think again about what they are offering voters.”
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