Renters` Rights Bill

How will the Renters’ Rights Bill affect Landlords Wanting to Obtain Possession of their Property?

You are likely to have heard about the introduction of the Renters’ Rights Bill which was first introduced to Parliament in September 2024, and if you are a landlord, you may be wondering how this will affect you.

The Renters’ Rights Bill will abolish Section 21 evictions, also known as ‘no fault evictions’ which are commonly used by landlords to obtain possession of their properties. Section 21 evictions allow a landlord to terminate a tenancy agreement without having to establish fault on the part of the tenant.

A section 21 notice requires a landlord to provide tenants with two months’ notice to leave the property and if the tenants do not leave within the notice period, the landlord is entitled to issue court proceedings to obtain a possession order.

The abolishment of the Section 21 evictions means that landlords will instead have to use Section 8 evictions to obtain possession of their property and to terminate a tenancy agreement unless the tenants voluntarily leave the property. A section 8 ground for possession must be satisfied in order to use the section 8 route. One example of a section 8 ground for possession is rent arrears. The section 8 grounds for possession are being expanded under the Renters’ Rights Bill which will widen the grounds to evict a tenant for rent arrears and the tenant will have to have at least three months’ rent arrears, opposed to two months, both at the time notice is served and at the time of the possession hearing. Furthermore, under the Renters’ Rights Bill, the notice period for rent arrears will be increased from two weeks to four weeks.

The Renters’ Rights Bill will also take into consideration change in circumstances for landlords and the bill includes rights for landlords to reclaim properties, when necessary, in the circumstances that a landlord needs to sell or move into the property. However, landlords will need to provide 4 months’ notice when using these grounds. Landlords will be unable to evict tenants within the first 12-months of the tenancy agreement as this will be known as a protected period under the Renters’ Rights Bill.

The Renters’ Rights Bill will affect landlords wanting to obtain possession of their properties as the abolishment of section 21 evictions will mean that landlords will not be able to evict tenants without a valid section 8 ground.

Whilst the Renters’ Rights Bill has not yet been implemented into law, it is expected to become law in the summer of 2025.

Please contact our litigation department for advice on obtaining possession of your property under the current legislation and the upcoming changes

https://www.rutherfordslegal.com/personal-injury-litigation/