Dear Editor,

A LANDMARK Bill to reform the private rented housing sector cleared its last hurdle before Royal Assent in a debate in the House of Commons on October 22.

The Renter’s Rights Bill is the first major reform to the private rented sector since 1988 and finally removes the right of landlords to evict their tenants under section 21 no-fault evictions. Many housing campaigners have cited section 21 as a key driver of homelessness.

Despite all the good things in the Bill and with former Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn welcoming the Bill we have yet to hear a peep out of our MP Chris Vince. Is this because ‘bunker mentality’ has set in or the result of loyalty issues?

In any event I welcome the Bill, even if it fails to regulate rent levels as Corbyn so passionately complained about. But why no fanfare, even from Harlow’s Labour councillors, when Housing Minister Matthew Pennycook stated to the House of Commons last week: 

“We promised in our manifesto to overhaul the regulation of our country’s insecure and unjust private rented sector, and this Bill delivers on that commitment. It will empower renters by providing them with greater security, rights and protections, so that they can stay in their homes for longer, build lives in their communities and avoid the risk of homelessness.

It will ensure that we can drive up the quality of private rented housing, giving renters access to good-quality and safe homes as a matter of course, and it will allow us to crack down on the minority of unscrupulous landlords who exploit, mistreat or discriminate against renters. The Bill will also provide tangible benefits for responsible landlords who provide high-quality homes and a good service to their tenants, not only improving the reputation of the sector as a whole, but ensuring that good landlords enjoy simpler regulation and clear and expanded possession grounds, so that they can regain their properties quickly when necessary.

“As I have argued many times throughout the passage of the Bill, the current system for private renting is broken. In abolishing section 21 no-fault evictions and modernising the regulation of the sector, the Bill will improve the lives of England’s 11 million private renters.”

A most welcome development was making armed forces family accommodation subject to the Decent Homes Standard. Back in November 2017 I toured the estate housing Royal Marine Commandos’ families at Poole in Dorset and I was shocked at the state of the place.

Consequently, I was gratified to hear minister Pennycook declare:

“… the Ministry of Defence has announced an additional £1.5 billion investment in SFA as part of a £7 billion commitment over the next five years to improving and modernising defence housing. That investment will unlock rapid work to tackle the poor state of forces housing, helping to support recruitment, retention and morale. As I mentioned, the defence housing strategy, to be published later this year, will also set out wider plans to improve service family homes.”

And in wrapping up the debate minister Pennycook paid tribute to all those who helped push through the Bill, such as Baroness Taylor in the Lords and Angela Rayner in the Commons who ensured it was an early priority for the new Labour government. 

I would have expected an article in YourHarlow from Chris Vince about this good news, especially him being a former homeless charity worker, but maybe such a loyal admirer of Sir Keir Starmer doesn’t like the Renters’ Rights Bill because it is a leftover policy from the more radical Jeremy Corbyn era?