A new law passed this week aims to transform private renting in England, putting an end to fixed-term contracts and ensuring rent increases are fair.
The new Renters Rights Bill also aims to protect tenants and landlords alike, but has received mixed reactions from those it directly affects.
The new law is particularly important for renters in the region as rental prices are among the highest in the country, according to the Office for National Statistics.
A landlord of 30 years who owns four student properties in Bath shared her thoughts on the bill. As a mother herself, she recalls feeling “heartbroken and appalled” at the state of her own daughter’s rented student accommodation.
“There are some rogue landlords out there… I think there should be laws in place that make sure things are dealt with. As long as we’re all looking out for one another, it all sails along nicely.”
@alrightgov Renting in England is about to go through some massive changes #rent #renting #ukpolitics #housing #rentersrights ♬ original sound – Alright, Gov?
Fixed-term tenancies will no longer exist. Tenants will only have to give two months’ notice when they need to leave. This will protect people going through unexpected life changes from being trapped in a contract.
The landlord expressed concerns about this change as she anticipated instability, “previously, I knew that I would have 11 months of rent that year. Now I haven’t got that reassurance.”
“It’s upsetting for us landlords, particularly with mortgages. We’ve got no guarantee now that we’ve got 11 months of rent.”
According to the Office for National Statistics, private rental costs in Bristol and Bath are some of the highest in the country, with the average rent costing £1,761 a month.
“It’s really concerning for people like me. We’ve got four properties, three of which their mortgages have gone up.”
Landlords are only able to raise rents to the market rate once per-year.
Tenants will be able to appeal any increases they think are inaccurate. This change hopes to put an end to backdoor evictions that force out tenants who can’t afford sudden rent increases.
Abi rents in Bristol, her and her housemates were informed by their landlord of a 14% increase just 3 months into their tenancy, leaving them in an incredibly stressful situation.
She explained: “We’d only lived here for 3 or 4 months, and they already wanted us to make that decision about staying for an extra fixed term.”
For young people across the country, restrictive fixed-term tenancies are a daunting prospect. Abi said: “Not everyone knows what they are going to be doing this time next year. It is a massive commitment to make as a young person.”
Abi expressed her fears as rents continue to rise; she fears being “priced out of Bristol”.
“I work as a teaching assistant. It is a brilliant job I love it, but the salary isn’t sufficient for a lot of Bristol properties. I could see myself being pushed further out of the city. Which would really suck.”
In an Instagram post, Carla Denyer recognised the Act as a “huge step forward” but also said she will keep pushing to “make it stronger, especially on affordability.”
The exact timeline for the bill remains unknown however the government will set out to implement changes as soon as possible, with many of the changes being implemented in “one stage.”
