Warwick and Leamington MP backs bill aimed at giving renters ‘long-overdue’ protections

The MP has stated that there were “shocking conditions” in some of the rental properties he had visited after constituents wrote to him for help.

The bill will include a ban on Section 21 evictions, which currently allow landlords to evict tenants with two months’ notice and without any reason needing to be given.

Between January and March 2024, 7,863 households in England were served with a Section 21 or a ‘no-fault’ eviction notice, a 15 per cent increase year-on-year.

In the constituency of Warwick and Leamington, 21.2 per cent of households are private renters, compared to 19.5 per cent across the UK.

The Renters’ Rights Bill was introduced in the House of Commons last week for its first reading.

Alongside a ban on no fault evictions, the legislation will also give tenants the right to request a pet and will expand Awaab’s law.

Awaab’s law was introduced in 2023 after the death of two-year-old Awaab Ishak who died in 2020 from a respiratory condition caused by "extensive" mould in the social rented home he lived in.

The existing Awaab’s law forces social housing landlords to repair issues making a home unsafe within a set time frame.

The new legislation will expand Awaab’s law to cover the private sector.

The legislation includes measures to strengthen tenants’ rights and end the practice of rental bidding by prohibiting landlords and agents from asking or accepting offers above the advertised rent.

It will require landlords and agents to publish an asking rent for their property and will make it illegal to accept offers made above this rate.

Mr Western said: “I have seen first hand some of the shocking conditions and difficulties that renters are forced to put up with locally – particularly for students.

"Black mould and damp are far too common and the impact on residents is undeniable.

“Alongside poor conditions, renters frequently live under great uncertainty about the security of their home and the prospect of having to move and enter an expensive bidding war to secure their next home.

“This legislation is hugely welcome and long overdue.

"It will play an important role in finally ensuring private renters get the protections and security they deserve.”