Balance of power between tenants and landlords a step closer with renters’ reform

The Law Society of England and Wales heralds government white paper: Balance of power between tenants and landlords a step closer with renters’ reform.

A ban on ‘no-fault’ evictions heralded in a UK government White Paper published today has been praised by solicitors’ leaders.

Law Society president I. Stephanie Boyce said:

“We agree with the ban on Section 21 evictions in principle, as it is one of the leading causes of family homelessness in the UK.

“We would be glad to see so-called ‘retaliatory evictions’ made more difficult. But people would still need to be able to access legal advice to defend their rights when these happen.

“If tenants cannot afford legal advice when they face eviction there is a potential inequality of power between them and their landlord. Justice should be equally accessible to both sides.

“Legal aid may be available to tenants but even families on low incomes may not be financially eligible for it, and in many parts of the country it is increasingly difficult to find a legal aid solicitor for housing issues.”

The Law Society’s legal aid desert heat maps showed that almost 41% of people in England and Wales do not have a housing legal aid provider in their local authority area, a figure that has grown by around 3% since 2019.

According to Shelter, nearly 230,000 private renters have been served a ‘no-fault’ eviction notice since April 2019.

I. Stephanie Boyce added:

“There needs to be a balance between the rights of tenants and landlords. We’ve previously recommended widening Section 8, which enables a landlord to regain their property in some circumstances.

“Careful calibration is needed to improve security of tenure while ensuring landlords are not disincentivised from entering into longer-term fixed tenancies.”

Kindly shared by The Law Society of England and Wales

Main article photo courtesy of Pixabay