NRLA CEO addresses national Renters’ Rights event
Landlord and tenant priorities in a post-Renters’ Rights Bill world were the focus of discussions led by NRLA Chief Executive Ben Beadle at a national seminar this week.
Ben was addressing the Westminster Social Policy Forum Keynote Seminar on the next steps for the private rented sector in England once the Bill is passed.
The Bill, which is expected to become law later this year, promises the biggest changes the sector has seen in a generation.
However Royal Assent is just the start, with a clear and detailed implementation plan – and timescale – vital if the Bill is to have any chance of success.
Ben was joined by high profile figures from across the industry and beyond, including Guy Horsington, deputy director for the Renters’ Rights Bill, Mark Evans, vice president of the Law Society and Matt Copeland, Head, Policy and Public Affairs at National Energy Action.
The stakeholders were brought together to discuss the direction of Government policy and potential impacts of Bill on landlords, housing standards, tenant welfare and security going forwards.
They also addressed the impact of the new rules on supply of homes in the private rented sector – and rents – something of major concern to the NRLA.
Lords debate
The NRLA's calls on the Renters' Rights Bill have taken centre stage in recent debates as part of Committee stage debates in the House of Lords.
Lord Carter of Haslemere, has tabled two amendments in line with the NRLA's proposals on possessions should tenants stop paying rent, with other peers sharing the association’s warnings that the Bill as it stands could force landlords out of the sector.
Ben discussed the potentially devastating impact of some changes being proposed under the Bill – paying particular attention to the impact on the student market – which, he argued could be decimated without an extension to the student ground to include student lets other than HMOs.
He also raised major concerns over the courts’ readiness for the predicted surge in demand once section 21 is abolished, nodding to comments by courts Minister Sarah Sackman, who just last month told the Justice Select Committee ‘we are not where we want to be in terms of timeliness and the digitalisation of the court process’.
Ben was speaking at the event alongside Sue James, Chair of the Renters Reform Coalition, a group of organisations representing renters.
While saying it should be no barrier to the Bill’s progression, she agreed with Ben that court reform was ‘long overdue’ and, as it stands, is failing landlords and tenants alike.
Energy efficiency
In addition to Renters’ Rights, the seminar, chaired by Baroness Warwick of Undercliffe and Baroness Grender, also examined the Government’s recent proposals on new minimum energy efficiency standards.
Ben explained that the new minimum C targets will be impossible to hit in the timescales proposed, with 2.5million rental homes across the country needing works and a dearth of skilled tradespeople to carry them out.
Packed policy programme
The seminar, on Thursday, was the latest in a packed programme of high-profile meetings attended by the NRLA policy team in recent weeks, with the department working tirelessly behind the scenes to ensure your voices are heard by the people that matter.
Last week NRLA chief innovation office and founder of Safe2 James Kent presented to the Property Energy Professionals Association (PEPA) on the scale of the challenge posed the the PRS by the Government's new energy efficiency proposals, and policy and campaigns director Chris Norris was invited to sit on the Single Family Housing Conference panel, hosted by the Radix Housing Commission. Chris also joined the Politics Home team on its podcast 'The Rundown' to discuss the rental market, the challenges it is facing, and possible solutions.
More information
- Committe stage of the Bill will continue next week, with the Lords sitting on Monday and Wednesday.
- The NRLA is hosting a members' only webinar on 15th May offering members a timely and practical breakdown of what’s been discussed, and what to expect from the report stage in the House of Lords.
- For more information about the process by which the Bill progresses through the House of Lords click here.
- For the NRLA’s guides outlining how you can start to prepare for the Bill click here.
- For more on the NRLA's approach to the Bill and our campaigns work read a blog by our policy director Chris Norris here.
- Extra dates have been added for our new Renters’ Rights course, after training sessions sold out in record time. For more information and to book click here.
- We have also added a new eLearning option for the Renters’ Rights course, allowing you to take the training at a time and place to suit you. For more information and to book click here.
