What the General Election Will Mean for Residential Landlords and Agents:

1st June 2024

With the announcement of the general election, residential landlords will be closely evaluating their voting options. Landlords and agents will be considering the current and future implications of various bills and policies.

Renters Reform Bill – What Next?
The bill has passed to the House of Lords for the reporting stage and the next stage will be the committee stage.

Will the Section 21 Notice be Abolished?
The Government plans to phase out Section 21 notices and fixed-term tenancies gradually. Once the bill becomes law, new fixed-term ASTs will no longer be created; instead, they will become periodic tenancies, eliminating the option to serve Section 21 notices. Existing fixed-term ASTs will also convert to periodic assured tenancies once they expire, starting from the commencement date (likely 6 months after the bill becomes law). After 18 months, the Government will review the court system and decide on a deadline for transitioning remaining ASTs to periodic tenancies.
It is still unclear whether the Bill will become law in this Government however, we can provide a range of documents in respect of section 8 and section 21 notices.

The Leasehold and Freehold Reform Bill
Currently in the Committee stage awaiting examination from the Public Bill Committee, this legislation will subsequently progress to a third reading before moving to the House of Lords for further debate. The proposed reforms focus on four key areas:

Lease Extension and Enfranchisement
Right to Manage
Service Charges and Ground Rent
Estate Management
Awaab’s Law Consultation

Awaab’s Law introduces a new requirement into social housing tenancy agreements. The Government recently concluded a consultation process and is now reviewing the feedback. Secondary legislation to implement Awaab’s Law will be introduced as soon as possible. We can provide a variety of up to date documents in respect of damp and mould.

Compliance
It’s crucial to ensure compliance with current obligations at the start of a tenancy to avoid issues later.
Jeffersons provide a range of document templates to assist from the start of the tenancy, through on-going management and to termination.