Truss commits to abolishing ‘no-fault’ evictions of private renters in England

The Prime Minister has committed to honouring a manifesto pledge to scrap so-called “no-fault” evictions of private renters in England.

Liz Truss pledged action after reports earlier this week that the Government could move to shelve the Conservative Party’s 2019 manifesto commitment.

It follows warnings from charities on Tuesday that backtracking on the pledge would be a “betrayal” of private renters across the country, and would fuel homelessness.

Labour MP Graham Stringer told the Commons: “Spooking the markets and increasing the cost of borrowing and increasing the cost of mortgages was almost certainly an act of gross incompetence rather than malevolence.

“But going back on the commitment to end no-fault evictions is an act of extreme callousness.

“Can the Prime Minister reassure the 11 million private renters in this country that she will carry out her commitment to get rid of no-fault evictions?”

Ms Truss replied: “I can.”

On Tuesday, Downing Street said no decisions had been made on whether to pause a promised ban on Section 21 notices, which allow landlords to evict a tenant without having to give a reason.

The Tories first pledged to scrap no-fault evictions in 2019 in the election manifesto.

In May, the Queen’s Speech confirmed that no-fault evictions would be abolished in a new Renters Reform Bill, which would also introduce an ombudsman to manage disputes and extend the Decent Homes Standard to privately renting households.

Osama Bhutta, director of communications, policy and campaigns at Shelter, said: “The Prime Minister reassured Parliament today that the Government will scrap Section 21 no-fault evictions and it won’t U-turn on its manifesto commitment.

“Truss’s words will provide some relief for England’s 11 million private renters who deserve better than this chaos.

“But the Government promised to transform private renting, of which banning no-fault evictions is one part of the package.

“The Renters Reform Bill is ready to go, it’s time the Government stopped stalling and brought the Bill forward in this Parliament.”

Kiran Ramchandani, director of policy and external affairs at homelessness charity Crisis, said: “After an anxious 24 hours, renters will be breathing a sigh of relief to hear the Prime Minister reconfirm the Government’s commitment to ending no-fault evictions.

“No-one should be needlessly evicted from their home as we head into what will be an extremely challenging winter for thousands.

“The Government must now confirm they will bring forward the Renters Reform Bill in this Parliament so that renters can be given the stability they are crying out for.”

Chris Norris, policy director for the National Residential Landlords Association (NRLA), said: “The NRLA will continue to work with the Government to ensure the new system for repossessing properties is both fair and workable for responsible landlords and tenants.”