The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan is today calling on Government to double the notice periods for private rental evictions to four months, as the cost of living crisis spirals and rents continue to
increase in the capital.
The proposed changes would give tenants extra financial breathing space to access support and advice, pay arrears or save for a move before their tenancies end.
Sadiq is continuing to call for a two-year private sector rent freeze to help struggling renters, but even if Ministers choose not to implement this, longer notice periods would provide important respite for hard-pressed tenants, who often face higher rents on new tenancies. The Rightmove Rental Price Tracker (1) indicates asking rents for new rentals in London are growing faster than anywhere else in the UK, up as much as 15.8 per cent annually in the last three months. This inflationary pressure will only grow as more people renew or move out of contracts that may have been kept at a lower price for longer due to the pandemic.
Sadiq has also been lobbying the government to devolve to City Hall the power to introduce rent controls, so private renters can be protected beyond the two-year rent freeze.
The Mayor welcomed the ‘A Fairer Private Rented Sector’ White Paper published in June, including proposals to abolish section 21 evictions and end fixed term tenancies. However, he believes these steps don’t go far enough or fast enough to properly protect renters. That’s why Sadiq is calling for an emergency suspension of section 21, because he’s concerned that, if too much time elapses before it is removed from the statute, unscrupulous landlords will attempt to evict renters in this way.
During the pandemic, Government extended notice periods which meant that tenants were better able to clear debts or prepare for a move. Short notice moves impact vulnerable households, those with children or additional needs, and those on low incomes most acutely, given they often do not have savings to rely on, or have no alternative accommodation to move into before their tenancies end. Government must revisit it’s decision not to extend notice periods as part of these reforms.
Alongside advocating four month notice periods, the Mayor is calling for relocation payments for renters and higher evidence thresholds for repossession evictions by landlords. Introducing these measures would give renters the support and security they need.
The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, said: “Nearly a third of Londoners are private renters, the majority of whom are set to be hit by a devastating combination of rent and bill rises in the coming months, with no sign rampant inflation slowing down.
“That’s why I’m calling on the Government to act urgently give Londoners breathing space by extending notice periods for tenants ahead of landlords taking possession of properties. This will allow them to access support and advice and save, if they can, for a move, before their tenancies end.
“Shorter notice periods disproportionately affect vulnerable households, so I urge whoever becomes the new Prime Minister next month to commit to delivering on this as soon as possible, as well as giving me the power to freeze rents in London for two years until the cost of living crisis subsides.”
Director, Generation Rent, Alicia Kennedy, said: “With energy bills about to go sky high, renters cannot afford to be blindsided by an increase in their rent. London faces the real prospect of thousands of people being unable to find the money to cover rent, heat their homes and put food on the table. Renters are terrified, knowing they face a winter of destitution. Ultimately that will lead to a further rise in evictions and homelessness. Now is the time for the government to intervene and temporarily stop landlords from raising the rent, as well as pausing evictions to keep renters in their homes.”
Director, Safer Renting at Cambridge House, Roz Spencer, said: "Home is not 'home' if you can be asked to leave, notice to go being delivered with only two pay cheques-time to find another home. It is frankly heart-breaking that so many private tenants' families never get to make a life for themselves anywhere because from the day they move in, they are thinking about where they may have to move to next. This call from the Mayor for government to act now could not be more important or more urgent: private renters should be entitled to build a life from somewhere they can call 'home'.”
- Rightmove, Rental Price Tracker, accessed 11 August 2022
Photo by Policy Exchange, Wikimedia commons.