Two amendments to soften the blow of the Renters’ Rights Bill were dismissed by Government representatives this week.
The controversial legislation has reached the House of Lords committee stage.
Shadow Housing Minister in the House of Lords, Baroness Scott of Bybrook suggested two amendments in the debate.
One was for the Government to review of the impact of the Act on the housing market and another queried why the Government was ignoring calls to allow some fixed term tenancies.
She said: “Why are the Government not listening to landlords, the very individuals who are primary maintainers of the private rented sector? Landlords are not just participants; they are the backbone of the housing market. Their voices must be heard in this conversation. There is a growing sense that these concerns are being overlooked, and one must ask whether this stems from a principled policy position or from a deeper ideological reluctance to recognise the legitimate role that landlords play.
“Without the ability to plan for future use or to rely on a defined tenancy period, landlords may well choose to exit the market. If this happens, we risk not only reducing the supply of homes but destabilising the rental sector as a whole, undermining the very intention of the Bill.”
But Baroness Taylor of Stevenage, Parliamentary Under Secretary for the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government, rejected these amendments.
She said moving to fully periodic tenancies is “critical to strengthening tenants’ rights and enabling them to hold landlords to account” and added that the legislation is a manifesto commitment so would not be reviewed.
This article is taken from Landlord Today