Fifth Report - Reforming the Private Rented Sector

The government will introduce a ground for possession that will facilitate the yearly cycle of short-term student tenancies, but rejects retaining fixed terms as it unfairly locks students into contracts. It will not introduce codes which cover all student housing.

The government has declined to increase the initial period where landlords cannot use grounds for possession to one year or increase the notice period to four months, but will maintain the current six-month restriction and two-month notice period. The government will mitigate misuse of grounds by restricting landlords from remarketing or reletting the property within three months of using moving or selling grounds.

The government is working with the Ministry of Justice and HM Courts and Tribunal Service to improve the court possession process, including digitizing more of the process, exploring prioritization of certain cases like antisocial behavior, improving bailiff recruitment, and providing early legal advice for tenants. Implementation will not take place until sufficient progress has been made to improve the courts, and the abolition of Section 21 will not proceed until reforms to the justice system are in place.

The government agrees with the intent to ensure landlords can act more quickly to evict antisocial tenants and will make grounds for possession faster and easier to prove, while maintaining judicial discretion in antisocial behaviour cases and will reduce the notice period for the mandatory antisocial behavior ground. They will ensure courts can make a possession order where tenants are evicted on the grounds of ASB and later convicted of an offence and will not make Ground 14 mandatory.

The government recognises the value of consolidating the housing redress system, but will address it through the Landlord Ombudsman service and does not think it is necessary to bring different elements of housing redress under a single legal framework.

The government will prohibit blanket bans on benefit recipients, but landlords can still make final decisions based on referencing checks. They will work with the insurance sector, explore improvements to welfare support information, and raise awareness of services provided by local councils.

The government plans to update the 'How to Rent' guide and modernize the way it communicates tenants' rights and responsibilities. They will work with various groups to maximize access to advice and report back to the Select Committee, though the specific request for the ombudsman to award compensation for failing to provide a copy of the guide was not addressed.

The government is retaining the two-month notice period and will mitigate misuse of the sales/occupation grounds by restricting landlords from remarketing/reletting within three months of using those grounds.