Government has confirmed that it is working on court reform

The National Residential Landlords Association (NRLA) has expressed its concerns over the Renters (Reform) Bill and says it still falls short of providing enough security and certainty for landlords and tenants.

The landlords' organisation has called for measures to establish a minimum initial tenancy period, to ensure that landlords are not exposed to frequent reletting costs and potential breaches of their mortgage terms.

It is also urging the Government to clarify the implementation dates and the transition process for existing tenancies, and to improve the justice system to deal with possession cases more efficiently and fairly.

270 amendments made to the Bill

Among the 270 amendments made to the Bill at the committee stage, are:

· A ban on discriminatory advertising practices and a Decent Homes Standard for PRS properties, as promised by the government in its manifesto

· A new ground for possession for student landlords, allowing them to regain their properties in line with the academic year

· A reversal of the Supreme Court ruling that exempted superior landlords from rent repayment orders when rent-to-rent companies breached their legal obligations. This means that landlords could face fines even if they were unaware of the illegal subletting by their tenants or agents

· A rejection of amendments that would have extended notice periods, increased evidence requirements and limited rent increases for landlords. The Government argued that these would undermine landlords' confidence and ability to regain possession of their properties when needed.

Bill falls short of delivering confidence

In an article on its website, the NRLA says that the Bill, as it stands, falls short of delivering confidence in responsible landlords.

It goes on: "This issue stems, in part, from the lack of security provided by the Bill to ensure tenants will remain in a property for more than two months.

"Without measures to establish an initial minimum tenancy period, landlords may be exposed to frequent reletting costs and may breach some buy-to-let lending conditions.

"The way the proposed reforms are implemented will also play a significant role in shaping landlords' perceptions of the Bill.

"Currently, uncertainty looms over implementation dates and the transition process for existing tenancies into the new tenancy regime."

The NRLA says that 'assurances' must be given by the government to ensure that landlords will have enough time to prepare for the Bill's reforms.

Government has confirmed that it is working on court reform

In its latest update, the government has confirmed that it is working on court reform as part of its plan to end section 21 evictions.

The government had said previously that section 21 'no-fault' evictions would not be abolished until the court system had been reformed to deal with the caseload.

Now Housing Minister Jacob Young has told the House of Commons that the Ministry of Justice has offered a timeline for the law to be implemented.

He also said that the government was doing a new assessment of the impact on local authorities and would provide adequate funding for any extra work.

Mr Young stressed that the Renters (Reform) Bill, which has passed the committee stage, had to be 'done right' for both tenants and the 2.4 million landlords.

He added: "We are working at pace to ensure that the courts are ready for the biggest change in the private rented sector in over 30 years."

'Follow the progress of the Renters (Reform) Bill'

The managing director of Accommodation for Students, Simon Thompson, said: "All landlords in the private rented sector will need to keep following the progress of the Renters (Reform) Bill.

"That's because amendments could be made, and we might not realise straight away.

"So far, that government has listened to some concerns, but we must be vigilant."

He added: "For student landlords in particular, there are big changes afoot that will determine whether they remain in the student accommodation sector.

"Some steps to mitigate the problem of having student tenants leave on a set day look set to be resolved - in a fashion."