Landlords plot legal challenge against Renters' Rights Bill
Landlords and senior Tory MPs are considering launching a legal challenge against the Government's Renters' Rights Bill, reports suggest.
Baroness Jane Scott, the shadow housing minister, is understood to have held a private meeting with some of the country's largest landlords and estate agents to discuss possible ways in which they might delay or prevent the bill's passing.
Among the proposals was a challenge in the courts under human rights law. A similar case mounted by Scottish landlords last year unsuccessfully argued rent caps breached landlords' right to property.
Three people present at the meeting told The Guardian they had also discussed delaying the bill with repeated rounds of amendments in the House of Lords.
The Renters' Rights Bill, introduced to Parliament last September, is set to implement several key protections for tenants, including a ban on no-fault evictions and fixed-term tenancy agreements.
'Awaab's law', a key feature of the bill, will require landlords to carry out essential repairs within fixed time periods, such as dealing with damp and mould. The bill is expected to become law later this year.
Former housing minister Michael Gove attempted to pass similar legislation last year, but new Tory leader Kemi Badenoch has shifted her party's stance away from backing the Government's plans to make life tougher for landlords.
The shadow housing minister's roundtable included representatives from property group Get Living, Dexters estate agents and the National Residential Landlord Association (NRLA), among others, The Guardian reported. The latter group has denied involvement in any discussions regarding legal challenges to the bill.
Critics of the Renters' Rights Bill have warned that it could lead to a rise in rents, as landlords sell up and flee the sector amid tougher conditions and dwindling profits. A third are now looking to sell off some or all of their rental properties, according to the latest English Private Landlord Survey, with just under two thirds blaming recent changes in legislation.
In 2023, the Scottish Association of Landlords mounted a failed legal challenge against the Scottish government's attempts to bring in a temporary rent cap, citing the right to property as enshrined in the European convention on human rights.
A Conservative party spokesman said: 'The Conservatives have been warning that this bill is deeply flawed, as it will lead to a reduced supply of rental homes. This will increase the cost of renting, affecting people across the country and in particular young people who are more likely to be living in the private rented sector.
'As is standard practice with all legislation, the official opposition engages privately with a range of stakeholders to hear their views.'
Not all of the groups in attendance were comfortable with the ideas discussed, The Guardian said, with some industry figures having accepted that the bill will become law, with a preference for it to pass quickly with amendments that offer landlords more certainty.
Ben Beadle, chief executive of the NRLA, said: 'The NRLA has long accepted that Section 21 is going and is not campaigning to retain it. Our focus remains solely on ensuring the Renters' Rights Bill is workable in practice without undermining its core objectives.'
The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government and Dexters' were also approached for comment.
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