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March 17, 2015 | Landlord News
After a long campaign spearheaded by housing charity Shelter, a law to ban ‘revenge evictions’ was passed by the House of Lords. Passed as part of the Deregulation Bill, the law will invalidate any eviction where the tenant has made a complaint about their housing conditions to which the landlord has not responded adequately.
So if a tenant complains about the conditions of their home, and the landlord – for whatever reason – seeks possession through a Section 21 notice, the tenant cannot be evicted unless given the consent of a court.
Although Shelter will no doubt be breaking out the champagne, the lettings sector is wondering what good, if any, this law will actually do. Throughout the process, industry representatives have pointed to a lack of evidence to justify the need for additional legislation.
Aiming to improve standards and tackling rogue landlords will always be welcome in the private rented sector, but many believe this law will more likely empower bad tenants than inhibit bad landlords.
All that now remains is for the Deregulation Bill to receive Royal Assent at the end of the month. To bring it into force, it will need a ‘commencement order,’ which is expected to happen in October.