The government has announced that the Levelling Up, Housing and Communities Committee has launched an inquiry into Reforming the Private Rented Sector.
The aim of this will be to look into the proposals set out in the recent ‘A Fairer Private Rented Sector’ White Paper and examine the Government’s plans to:
- Introduce a decent homes standard for the private rented sector
- Reform the system of tenancies
- Abolish no-fault evictions
- Reform the grounds on which landlords can take possession of their properties
- Better protect tenants from unfair rent increases
Chair of the Levelling Up, Housing and Communities Committee, Clive Betts, said:
“Private renters can be the victim of a power imbalance with their landlords, subject to unjustified hikes in rents and the fear of being forced out of their accommodation. During a cost-of-living crisis, the impact of rising housing costs is even more damaging on households.
It’s welcome that the Government has come forward with its White Paper and, as a committee, we are keen to examine how effective the proposed reforms will be in protecting tenants and ensuring the success of the private rented sector in providing homes. As a committee, we look forward to hearing from a range of stakeholders including tenants’ groups, landlords, local government, and Ministers and will then report with recommendations to Government on how they could improve their proposals for reform of the private rented sector.”
The committee is accepting written evidence submissions that relate to any part of the white paper. The closing date for these submissions is 19th August 2022, with evidence sessions for the inquiry set to begin in September.
