Is the Renters Reform Bill at risk of collapse?

First announced in April 2019, the Renters’ (Reform) Bill contains numerous proposed updates to how to achieve vacant possession, including abolishing the Section 21 Notice (no-fault eviction).

However, almost five years since the first announcement, the bill has not yet come into effect and is still going through the House of Commons. In November 2023, it was scrutinised at the ‘Committee’ stage which involved a group of MPs examining the bill’s clauses.

In March 2024, various newspapers reported that the bill is on the brink of collapse. It claims that a small group of landlord MPs, led by Anthony Mangnall, the MP for Totnes and South Devon, are holding the bill to ransom to force changes. This has caused a stalemate between MPs supporting the bill in its current form and other MPs seeking changes to it.

As a result, The National Residential Landlords Association (NRLA) has teamed up with the homelessness charity Crisis to request clarification from the government on the bill’s future.

There is still a long way to go before the bill can become law, including approval by the House of Lords, and there is concern now that it could run out of time before it can be passed through the House of Commons.  With the added pressure of an upcoming General Election, it is uncertain how much of the Bill will progress and it could then be left to the next government.

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