Rayner pledges ‘justice and fairness for all’ as part of reforms for renters

Angela Rayner has promised to do everything she can to fix the “scandalous” issue of renters living in unsafe homes and provide “social justice and fairness for all”, as she set out the Government’s plans to improve protections for tenants.

The Deputy Prime Minister said every renter should have a secure home and promised to end no-fault evictions as part of the Renters’ Rights Bill.

The Bill also aims to put tenants in a stronger position to challenge unreasonable rent increases and place restrictions on landlords to ensure they can only raise rent once a year at the market rate.

A Conservative attempt to block the Bill, on the grounds it could reduce housing supply in the private rented sector and force up rents, was rejected by 424 votes to 104, majority 320.

MPs then approved the Bill at second reading and it will undergo further scrutiny at a later date.

Opening the second reading debate, Ms Rayner told the Commons: “I hope the entire House will agree that everyone should live in a decent, safe and affordable home. Everyone should, but not everyone can.

“This is why I have put decency at the heart of my plans for housing and taken the steps to ensure that all homes are warm and safe, and nowhere is that more needed than in the private rented sector.”

She added: “The Conservatives promised to pass a renters’ reform Bill in the 2019 manifesto. Yet in a desperate attempt to placate their backbenchers, they caved into vested interests, leaving tenants at the continued mercy of unfair section 21 eviction notices.

“They dithered, delayed and made excuse after excuse for their inaction.”

The Housing Secretary said more than 100,000 households have been subject to a no-fault eviction since 2019, with 26,000 being in the last year alone.

Ms Rayner went on to say: “It’s only a few weeks since the Phase 2 outcome for the Grenfell report, and therefore when we’re talking about housing and providing housing this is at the forefront of my mind that houses have to be safe for people.

“And it is absolutely scandalous that here in Britain we have this situation at the moment where we can’t guarantee that, and I’m going to do everything I can as Secretary of State to fix that problem.

“And when we talk about families as well, more widely we will also end the abhorrent practice of denying a family a home purely because they receive benefits, or have children, by making it illegal for landlords and letting agents to discriminate against tenants on that basis.

“This Bill is about social justice and fairness for all.”

Ms Rayner said the Bill will put provisions in place to remove fixed-term tenancies, stop sharp rent increases, prohibit bidding wars for properties and end landlords and letting agents asking for large deposits.

In a bid to alleviate concerns over the Bill’s impact on the courts system, Ms Rayner said the Government will be “digitising the county court possession process”.

She added: “We will also take steps to ensure that wherever possible, disputes will be resolved at an early stage, and with the new PRS landlord ombudsman service introduced in the Bill playing a vital role in supporting this.”

The legislation as it stands will give renters a one-year period of protection at the beginning of a tenancy, during which landlords cannot evict to move in or sell the property, and would double notice periods for various grounds for possession from two months to four months.

It is also expected to give local councils stronger powers to crack down on unscrupulous landlords and give tenants the right to request keeping a pet, with landlords unable to unreasonably refuse.

Independent MP Jeremy Corbyn (Islington North) pushed Ms Rayner to go further and introduce rent controls.

He said: “The level of rent is astronomical, unaffordable and driving working-class communities out of inner-city areas. Does she not agree that the Bill needs to go a bit further and bring in rent controls as well, so that housing is available for all people?”

Ms Rayner replied: “Rent controls restrict housing supply, which doesn’t help anyone.”

Shadow housing secretary Kemi Badenoch argued the Bill will “break” the rental market and “pit landlords and tenants against each other”.

She went on to say: “It is painfully clear to anyone who understands markets that this Bill will act as a powerful disincentive for anyone to rent out their property.

“Most tenants do not have friends and family to rent from, and unlike the Labour Party they do not have millionaire donors to prop them up, so they will suffer most when supply goes down, and rents go up.”

Ms Badenoch also called for an impact assessment for the “badly thought-out and costly regulation”.