Angela Rayner has now resigned as Deputy Prime Minister and Housing Secretary, following controversy over a property tax issue. This departure is particularly significant when it comes to the Renters’ Rights Bill, as Angela Rayner appeared to be the public face of the Bill.
In her place, Steve Reed has been appointed as the new Secretary of State for Housing, although Matthew Pennycook remains the housing minister and therefore has a central role in relation to the Renters’ Rights Bill. Although Steve Reed has publicly supported the Bill, it remains to be seen whether he will award the same level of priority to the matter as his predecessor, Angela Rayner.
The Bill is currently in the “ping-pong” stage in Parliament, where it is being considered back and forth between the House of Commons and the House of Lords. On 8 September, the House of Commons rejected almost all of the amendments made by the House of Lords, so the Bill will now return to the Lords for further consideration. However, it seems unlikely that this will be on the House of Lords’ agenda before the start of the conference recess on 16 September.
Therefore, despite Matthew Pennycook saying the Bill “needs to receive Royal Assent as quickly as possible so that England’s 11 million private renters can benefit from its provisions” it appears that there will now be a delay to the expected timeframe, as many people believed that Royal Assent would take place by Autumn this year.
The timing ultimately depends on how quickly parliament resolves the outstanding amendments, how the Government chooses to prioritise this legislation amongst their reshuffling of leadership, and how much debate remains over the final details. However, it is likely that Royal Assent will not take place until at least the end of 2025, meaning the commencement date for any implementation of the new system will not be before Spring 2026.
While the final form of the Bill is still uncertain, significant changes to its content seem unlikely at this stage. In the meantime, it is crucial for landlords to stay informed on developments.
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