Ben Twomey, chief executive of campaign group Generation Rent, said banning no-fault evictions was “painfully overdue” and would “give tenants more confidence to challenge disrepair and poor treatment by landlords and letting agents”.
He added: “The government has also promised to provide tenants with greater protections against unreasonable rent increases, but more work is required to make this a reality.”
The government said the bill would ban in-tenancy rent increases being written into contracts and landlords would only be allowed to raise the rent once a year to the market rate.
However, housing charity Shelter said in-tenancy rent increases must be limited further so they are in line with inflation or wage growth to prevent renters being “forced out by colossal rent hikes”.
Tom Darling, director of the Renters’ Reform Coalition, said the new bill was “a stronger piece of legislation than the previous attempt”, including longer notice periods for tenants who are evicted and a longer period at the start of a tenancy where people are protected from eviction.
However, he said “there are still areas for improvement”.
“This draft law has little to say about one of the biggest issues facing renters – cost,” he said.
“‘Economic evictions’ through rent rises are a major factor in homelessness and insecurity.”
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