New Private Rental Sector Reforms

7th February 2022

The government has proposed new private rental sector reforms that are due to be released in more depth in the spring in a white paper.

In an article by Goodlord (2022), the announcement outlines that:

• Section 21 will be abolished to attempt to ‘reset the relationship between landlords and tenants’.
• Blueprints will be drawn up for a new minimum standard for renting homes, including a mandatory national landlord register to help prevent properties being left in poor conditions and to act against ‘rogue’ landlords.
• All privately rented homes will need to also meeting a binding minimum standard. This means that The Decent Homes Standard will be reviewed and modernised.
• All tenants will be given a ‘strong right to redress’ (right to amend).
• Poor energy efficiency will be addressed.

Furthermore, the white paper will attempt to provide additional support to first time buyers in the form of the First Homes Scheme, which will provide a 30% discount to help local young people and key workers purchase a home. There will also be recognition of the issues with purchasing a property for the first time, and these will be looked into deeper.

The Levelling Up White Paper will also outline the support for creating more affordable social housing, with an examination into how to support councils to deliver more council homes. A £1.5 billion fund will be used towards loans in areas where levelling up is a priority.

Source: The Goodlord Team (2022) Your Guide To The Rental Reforms Proposed In The Levelling Up White Paper (Online Article) https://blog.goodlord.co/your-guide-to-the-rental-reforms-proposed-in-the-levelling-up-white-paper