A cross-party group of politicians has launched an urgent inquiry into so-called revenge evictions.
The All Party Parliamentary Group for the Private Rented Sector is asking for evidence, giving just one week’s deadline.
Its inquiry comes ahead of a reading of Sarah Teather’s Tenancies (Reform) Bill, which would make it illegal to evict a tenant within six months of a complaint about a disrepair. The Bill has the backing of the Government.
Although organisations such as Shelter claim that retaliatory evictions are common, landlord organisations dispute this.
They have also expressed concern that tenants who are in arrears, are anti-social or have breached their tenancy agreement in other ways could hold up the eviction process simply by complaining about the condition of their property.
The All Party Parliamentary Group says it has launched its inquiry to understand the impact that the legislation would have on the sector, the extent of the problem it seeks to address and what, if any, changes could be made to improve it.
All interested organisations are invited to submit evidence and a report will be produced with recommendations being made to ministers before the committee stage of the Bill.
As well as written submissions, members will take oral evidence next week and the week after.
Announcing the inquiry, the Group’s chairman, Oliver Colvile, MP for Plymouth Sutton and Devonport, said: “The issue of evictions in rented homes is incredibly emotive and needs to be treated sensitively.
“Tenants rightly deserve protections from rogue landlords whilst landlords also need protections to be able to swiftly remove tenants who breach the terms of their contracts.
“With landlord and tenant groups in disagreement over the need for this Bill, the Group will seek to reach a consensus on the best way forward that is fair to all sides.”
Anyone wanting to express a view on revenge evictions, can email a submission of no more than 1,000 words with a one page executive summary by this time next week.
The email address is: admin@prs-group.org.uk
We don't deal with lettings but as a landlord I must admit if I have had a tenant that seems to think they have a maintenance free property and expect me to offer a platinum service when something goes wrong when they are obviously to blame it has in the past made me question if I should find a new tenant.
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this is mad, it appears the .gov want to discourage landlords and thus reduce supply further
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I have absolutely no doubt there are some landlords who resort to retaliatory eviction but having been in the industry since 1989 they are a very small minority. I think some of the stats banded around by some people/organisations are 'very' dubious at best and this may be taking a sledgehammer to crack a nut in what looks like an attempt to address the symptoms of a wider problem, rather than the cause i.e. landlords who do not maintain properties in accordance with existing legislation.
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No GOOD Landlord gives a GOOD tenant Notice without a GOOD reason.
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