Conflicting responses to the government’s newly proposed Renter Reform Bill

The Renter’s Reform Bill is receiving conflicting reactions from organisations such as the National Residential Landlords Association and the National Union of Students.

First proposed in 2019, Housing Secretary Michael Groves says the long-awaited Renters Reform Bill will be introduced into Parliament in May 2023. The new reforms to the private sector will reflect the objectives of the government's Rental Reform Bill white paper published roughly a year ago.

The reform proposes several significant changes to the existing rental market laws including scrapping fixed-term tenancies, abolishing Section 21 which would prevent ‘no fault’ evictions, the introduction of a landlord registry, and a cap on rent increases to once per year.

The government also intends to give tenants, including students, the right to move out early.

National Residential Landlords Association (NRLA) believes student housing should be exempt from the new Renter Reform Bill.

The National Union of Students has condemned the NRLA for claiming that privately rented student accommodation would be negatively affected by a move to periodic tenancies.

This condemnation comes after the announcement that they had written to 22

students’ unions to explain what will happen under the government’s plans for rent reform.

The letter explains the benefits of providing students with assured shorthold tenancies which are advantageous for both students and landlords. According to the NRLA, this is because landlords can regain possession of their property in time to accommodate a new group of student tenants.

The NRLA continues: If periodic tenancies were implemented, this outcome would be unlikely as the tenancy would transform into a rolling contract without a fixed end date leaving students and landlords unsure about future accommodation availability.

The National Union of Students (NUS) is in support of Renter’s Reform.

NUS – which represents about 600 student unions across the UK – condemns the NRLA for trying to create an “underclass of renters” and is openly supporting the reform.

Chloe Field, the NUS’s higher education officer says: “It is wrong that the NRLA is pushing for exemptions for students which would afford them fewer rights than other renters.

“Our research repeatedly shows that the cost of housing is a key driver impacting student mental health so it is disingenuous for the NRLA to imply that the greater protections secured through the bill will bring harm to students.”

The University College London Student Union echoes NUS’s rental reform approval.

The UCL Student Union ‘strongly supports’ the proposed reforms to the private rented sector. Their research shows that 92% of students are concerned about their ability to manage financially and, as a result, they believe the need for legislative change is urgent.

By abolishing Section 21 evictions, the UCL SU claims that tenants would be given more power by being able to challenge illegal practices and poor living conditions without the risk of eviction.

The UCL Student Union is similarly in support of the proposed national register of landlords.

The reform would introduce the Decent Homes Standard which would facilitate greater improvements for all renters, according to UCL. Currently, 21% of homes across England do not meet the Decent Homes Standard.

According to written evidence submitted by Student’s Union UCL:

“A national register of landlords, which requires evidence that landlords are meeting these minimum standards as a condition of registration and with registration removed from landlords who break the law, is crucial in ensuring that the Decent Homes Standard is effectively enforced.”

Despite this, the NRLA remains adamant that the rental reform plans will disturb student life.

An NRLA spokesperson defended their position, saying:

“The government’s plans to make all student tenancies open-ended or ‘periodic’ would only make it harder to find accommodation. It would mean no landlord could ever guarantee that housing would be available for students at the start of each academic year.”

You can read more about the NRLA’s claims that the rent reform plans will restrict student access to higher education here.