Renters Rights Bill

[Lsgandhi]

I recently renewed my fixed term rental agreement for a year. I wanted a longer lease but the landlord mentioned there would be no guarantee we could continue living in the property once the Renters Rights Bill becomes law. Can someone explain? Does it mean the landlord will likely sell up?
thanks

They can only do so under very strict caveats/ grounds. So no more no fault section 21. They can if a private landlord only do so if selling moving back in or tenant has really breached their contract aka 3 months + rent arrears.

tenants effectively can rent a property for life unless LL sells (and LL can’t rent a property for 12 months once the tenant has moved out ) etc.

Landlords can into increase rent once a year and have to do so via section 13 - and no more than 10% higher plus has to be in line with local market rates

Interesting reading everyone's opinions on this. I am very worried about all the changes even though in theory it should be tenants like me who are getting more protections.

I rent my house, been here now for 14 months. It was a nightmare to find a home. Id separated from my children's father so was a single mother with 2 children under 5. I work a professional job and have been with same company for 8 years. I earn well but living in SE I am still eligible for a (albeit very small) UC top up. The money is negligible really but it means I can claim some childcare back which is a god send as it enables me to use wraparound care and holiday care and still pay the bills otherwise I'd have had to cut my hours.
I am just not an attractive tenant on paper, two young kids and 2 cats, 'benefits' etc etc I ended up having to offer over the monthly rent being asked to be in with a chance. Even then I wasn't the highest offer but I wrote a letter in to the landlord and the agents had rented to me previously (albeit a few years earlier) and could vouch I was a good respectful tenant and always paid on time etc.

I just don't know how I can compete with people who have a double salary household income etc. The reality is I will always be more of a 'risk' but deserve a home now less.

There is no hope of ever buying as rent is so high I live month to month and have no savings for emergency costs let alone to think about buying.

Having secured a house and now settled here I am terrified of the landlord selling up and ending up homeless. The changes make me feel more worried they will do this. I am praying we make it past May 1st here. We would like it to be a long term rent and hopefully the landlord feels the same. The house is well kept, we don't piss the neighbours off and we have never ever missed any payments.

The uncertainty is definitely a stress though and there seems to be no consensus on what will happen.

"The uncertainty is definitely a stress though and there seems to be no consensus on what will happen."

There is no "consensus" becuase, as you yourself show, most people are opining on the grounds of baseless fears, not rational fact.

Why do you think your LL will sell before May 2026?

Seems like more legalised theft dragging us back to feudal times. Won't help the tenants nor the landlords, imo.

Wandsworth selective licensing requires me to have landlord insurance. This insurance requires me to ensure tenants pass affordability checks as part of the referencing. The new Act no longer gives me the flexibility to ask for rent in advance in lieu. So sorry. In the past I have taken post grad students, people new to the country, people with CCJs, people whose start ups have failed. All were fine, though I would have had the option of a no fault eviction if they hadn’t been.

Now I can’t. Both because I dare not take risks and because my insurance that the local authority require me to have, won’t let me.

At the moment all my tenants are responsible and trustworthy. Not least because the extreme shortage of property allows me to pick and choose. (This summer it was 25 sets of applicants within a day. Interviewed six, and was happy to take whichever of five came back to me first with a firm offer.) If any leave I will think hard about selling. It is hard work staying on top of rules and regulations. You are always on call. (Friday was a leaking toilet, the only toilet in a one bed, so I had to find someone that day, which meant a £1,600 bill.) Mortgage rates have gone up and construction prices are rising whilst returns are falling. (Licensing one property was £1,500, and my next task is to find and purchase new software so I can comply with Making Tax Digital, which is coming in in April.) I also have no idea how I will find the money or workmen to bring Victorian properties up to EPC before 2028. (Not least because I can’t do the work with tenants in situ, and I can’t ask the tenants to leave if they don’t want to.)

I get it. Landlords are the enemy. Easy politics. My instinct is that people will miss us when we are gone and that the impact will fall hardest on tenants with more precarious financial circumstances. The never ending regulations are also hitting social landlords, who are really struggling with margins and profitability. My Corbynist MP says we should tax the rich more to pay for more council housing. Maybe he is right. It’s going to be pretty shit for landlords and tenants alike if he is wrong.

Hideous councils are already begging for private landlords to help them with the homelessness crisis that they helped to promote.

perhaps you could give precise examples of why not, otherwise your comment just looks like uninformed bandwagon jumping