A national newspaper says the Renters Reform Bill is “on the brink of collapse” as Tory MPs are divided on their views of the measure.
The Sun quotes an unnamed Whitehall source as saying: “The Renters Reform Bill looks like it may now collapse and the Tories risk breaking their manifesto commitment to end no fault evictions. Officials are at a total loss given both pro-landlord groups like the National Residential Landlords Association and pro-renters groups like the Renters Reform Coalition want this bill passed ASAP. It seems a small group of landlord MPs, led by Anthony Mangnall, are holding the bill to ransom.”
However, Mangnall - MP for Totnes - is not a landlord himself. Additionally, he insists he supports scrapping Section 21 eviction rights. But he claims many Tories are furious about the Bill banning fixed-term rental tenancies and replacing them with periodic tenancies that don’t have an end date.
Mangnall is quoted in the Sun saying: “I want to amend the Bill not to kill it. It’s my role as a legislator to ensure we pass sensible legislation. We’ve had constructive meetings with Michael Gove. This is about trying to find the right balance.”
Generation Rent chief executive Ben Twomey - who has previously accused MPs who are landlords of blocking the Bill - took to social media platform X to say: “I’d call this a kick in there teeth for renters, but it’s far worse.”
And a statement from the Generation Rent organisation itself says: "If the Renters Reform Bill were to collapse as this report suggests, it would be the biggest betrayal of renters in a generation and nothing short of a disgrace. Ending Section 21 ... evictions has been promised for almost five years and the prospect that government might abandon its word to 12 million renters because of party infighting is shameful.
"The Bill intends to, in its own words, 'rebalance the power between tenants and landlords', but no compromise appears to be enough. Concessions to weaken and delay the Bill's impact have already been made. This Bill is more than fair to landlords and the major landlord organisations all support reform. With soaring homelessness and record evictions, opponents of this Bill are far removed from the realities of renting.
"The government must bring forward this Bill, and it must stand firm to make sure it is worth the paper it is written on. Renters are tired of being a football used for political point scoring. We deserve so much better than this, and will certainly remember if tenants’ rights are denied by the collapse of this Bill."
Meanwhile a Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities spokesperson says: “Our landmark Renters (Reform) 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. We continue to meet regularly with a range of groups, representing all those in the private rented sector."
This article is taken from Letting Agent Today