The Renters&#39; Rights Bill

On 11 September 2024, the government published the Renters' Rights Bill.

This Bill aims to make sure private renters have access to a secure and decent home, but it also has implications for social housing tenancies.

What is the Renters' Rights Bill?

The previous government began the process of reform for renters with the Renters (Reform) Bill. This legislation fell with the election, before it was passed in Parliament. The new government has built on this previous draft legislation, publishing the new Renters' Rights Bill in September 2024.

The Renters Rights Bill aims to give private rented tenants greater protections, including: abolishing section 21 evictions, strengthening action against failing landlords, introducing a Decent Homes Standard for the Private Rented Sector (PRS) and making it illegal for private landlords to discriminate against people who receive benefits or have children.

Most of these changes relate to the PRS, but some parts of the new Bill will relate to housing associations because they use assured tenancies.

Supporting our members on the Renters' Rights Bill

At the NHF, we support the government’s plan to expand rights and protections for people renting their homes, and to value the contribution made by responsible landlords who provide quality homes. We’re ready to work together with the government to make sure homes are better quality, safer and more secure.

The second reading of the Bill took place on 9 October 2024 and went to committee stage on 22 October. It will now progress to the Report Stage.

The NHF gave oral evidence to the Committee, explaining our support for the Bill, whilst highlighting our concerns. These include aspects of the proposed processes for rent increases, Rent to Buy and redevelopment. NHF members can read more about these in our briefing below.

We will be submitting written evidence and we are encouraging our members to submit their evidence too. Please share with us any feedback on the Bill, so we can include it in our submission to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG).

The Bill will now progress to report stage. We know the government are looking to pass this legislation quickly, so renters won't wait any longer for improvements to their rights.

NHF member briefing

To support our members, we’ve written a briefing explaining how the Bill will affect housing associations. The briefing looks at key aspects of the Bill for social housing providers, including: