Tenants being evicted before new rental laws come in, warns former Labour leader
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Renters are facing eviction from their homes while new protections are being debated in Parliament, according to a former Labour leader. Jeremy Corbyn, Independent MP for Islington North, said property owners are using “unreasonable arguments” to end tenancies early before the new Renters’ Rights Bill becomes law.
The Bill is due to clear the Commons on Tuesday, with the Government saying it would end no-fault evictions, end bidding wars for tenancies and cap price rises faced by those in the sector. Housing minister Matthew Pennycook acknowledged there was “a lot of bad practice in the sector” that the Government is keen to clamp down on.
However, Conservative MPs gave warnings that more changes to the law could see an exodus of landlords, limiting the supply of homes for rent and driving rents up further as a result. Mr Corbyn asked the minister: “Is he aware that there seems to be quite a lot of landlords at the present time who are using unreasonable arguments in order to terminate tenancies or raise rents ahead of this legislation coming in?.
“Is there anything that he or his department can do to protect tenants during this quite stressful period for them?”. Mr Pennycook said: “There is a lot of bad practice out there. That’s the very reason why the Government have acted so quickly to ensure these reforms are introduced and we’re confident these reforms once in place will provide tenants with the protection they deserve.
