The government is expected to U-turn on plans to abolish Section 21 evictions, according to The Times.
The government published its Fairer Private Rented Sector White Paper in June with plans to ban Section 21 evictions, alongside other proposals.
But the newspaper has been told that the plans, which were due to be introduced in this parliamentary session, are not considered a priority and could be killed off entirely, despite being a manifesto commitment.
Steven Swinford, political editor at The Times, tweeted: “Liz Truss is shelving Michael Gove’s plans to end no-fault evictions, which were due to be introduced in this Parliamentary session.
“The Times has been told that they are not considered a priority and could be killed off entirely, despite being a manifesto commitment.”
Buy-to-let landlords will undoubtedly welcome plans to abolish Section 21 evictions, as many were generally concerned about being able to gain possession of a property back.
This move may also deter many landlords from selling up, despite the prospect of tighter profit margins as mortgage borrowing rates rise.
Responding to reports in The Times that the government is considering scrapping plans to end Section 21 repossessions, Ben Beadle, chief executive of the National Residential Landlords Association, said: “Whatever the government’s plans, a wide range of reforms are desperately needed to support the sector.
“The supply crisis in the sector must be addressed urgently, while much more needs to be done to root out criminal and rogue landlords. Likewise vulnerable tenants can and should be better supported by unfreezing housing benefit rates.
“The NRLA will continue to work with all parties to ensure that reforms are fair and workable and command the support of tenants and responsible landlords.”
Comments (4)
Screech! That was the sound of Liz hitting the brakes and announcing that S21 will be banned. Good luck to the tenants looking for a dwindling supply of homes.
Good news for landlords but, I fear, the damage is already done!
Landlords have lost faith in a government that has spent years trying to attract the tenant vote by alienating landlords and has now lost the battle.
Can we ever trust government again?
Conservatives are unlikely to win the next General election and the reds will be looking to impose even more grief on landlords, what next?
Tenants right to buy maybe?
In this current climate and as the court system is not fit for purpose I always take a guarantor, if the tenant doesn’t know someone that trusts them why should I hand them the keys to my house, better an empty property than a bad tenant the saying goes and is correct!