During the final debate on the Renters’ Rights Bill in the Commons last night, Housing Minister Matthew Pennycook dismissed nearly all of the amendments put forward by opposition parties. Attendance at the session was notably low.
Pennycook argued that the changes could create loopholes, allowing some landlords the opportunity to exploit the system, neglect their responsibilities, or mistreat tenants.
Standing alongside the new Housing Secretary, Steve Reed, Pennycook stressed that the Government had been elected with a clear commitment to deliver reforms that the Conservatives had failed to achieve in the previous Parliament.
He explained that the aim of the Bill is to modernise regulation in the private rental sector, which has long been criticised for being insecure and unfair. The legislation, he said, would give renters stronger rights, more security, and greater protections.
Pennycook added that swift progress was needed so the Bill could achieve Royal Assent without delay, ensuring that the 11 million private tenants in England can start to see its benefits as soon as possible.
Rejected
Around 20 significant amendments to the Bill were put forward by the House of Lords, but most have now been dismissed in one move. It is not yet clear whether this will trigger the usual ‘ping pong’ stage, where the Bill is sent back to the Lords for revisions or for fresh proposals to be introduced.
However, with Labour holding a strong majority in the Commons and Ministers keen to see the Bill passed into law ahead of next week’s Labour conference, the chances of it being delayed further appear slim, though it cannot be ruled out entirely.
Key measures
Greg Tusman, Managing Director of Lettings at Martyn Gerrard Estate Agents, criticised the Government’s decision to reject the proposed pet deposit amendment. He argued that this move does not strengthen tenants’ rights, but instead risks backfiring. Without the option for landlords to request a pet deposit or insurance to cover potential damage, many will instead increase rents for everyone to offset the risk. According to Tusman, this approach penalises tenants without pets, reduces affordability, and leaves renters with fewer choices.
A number of other amendments put forward by the Lords were also rejected. These included a proposal to widen possession ground 4A so that it applied to smaller student lets, such as one or two-bedroom properties. Another sought to expand possession ground 5A to cover different types of agricultural workers, regardless of their employment arrangements.
Further suggestions included the introduction of a new possession ground, 8A, which would have allowed landlords to reclaim a property if it was required to house a carer for themselves or a close family member. The Lords also pushed for the restricted period preventing landlords from reletting to be halved from 12 months to six, alongside an exemption for shared ownership cases.
Other rejected proposals involved enabling local authorities to issue assured compliance advice to letting agents under the Tenant Fees Act 2019, and raising the standard of proof for financial penalties related to rental discrimination and bidding from civil to criminal level.
While rejecting most of the Lords’ changes, the Government pressed ahead with its own set of amendments. These included giving landlords up to three months to evict tenants, provided possession notices were served before the new law comes into effect. Another gave the Secretary of State powers to amend Section 13 rent increase rules if the courts became overwhelmed by cases.
Additional changes allowed landlords to keep advance rent payments for existing tenancies once the legislation is enacted, exempted purpose-built student accommodation from the Bill, and granted councils new powers to inspect rental properties without prior notice.
Commenting on the overall package, James Cleverly gave a detailed critique of several elements, warning that the Bill could unintentionally push landlords out of the private rental market. He argued this would reduce the availability of homes to rent, placing upward pressure on rents and leaving tenants worse off.
Cleverly acknowledged that the intentions behind the legislation were well-meaning but said that in practice, the reforms were flawed and risked being counterproductive. By making the private rented sector less attractive for landlords, he warned, the very group the Bill aims to protect—tenants—could ultimately suffer.
What happens next?
If the Bill is not sent back by the Lords with further amendments, it will proceed to the King for Royal Assent. While many of its measures will still rely on secondary legislation before they can take effect, one major change—the introduction of open-ended tenancies where tenants only need to give two months’ notice to leave—will come into force straight away.
Housing minister Matthew Pennycook has pledged to give “sufficient notice” before the new rules are implemented and has promised to work closely with both tenant groups and landlord organisations to ensure the transition runs smoothly.
To support this, the Government plans to roll out a nationwide communications campaign and issue detailed guidance to help tenants and landlords understand and prepare for the changes once the Act is in place.
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