The government has proposed a law to prevent ‘rogue landlords’ evicting tenants for identifying health hazards in their home.
Ministers announced today an amendment to the Deregulation Bill to restrict landlords from evicting tenants where a health and safety hazard has been identified by environmental health officers.
Landlords are already restricted from evicting tenants if they fail to protect deposits or do not hold a licence they are required to hold.
Ministers say the move is designed to only target bad landlords who carry out ‘revenge evictions’ and cannot be used by tenants to frustrate legitimate evictions.
The amendment follows a furious outburst from homelessness charities after the tenancies reform bill, which would have also outlawed revenge evictions, was ‘talked out’ of the House of Commons.
Communities minister Stephen Williams said: ‘We’re determined to create a bigger, better private rented sector – a key part of that is to tackle the minority of rogue landlords that blight the lives of their tenants.
‘That’s why I’m proposing changes to the law that would outlaw “retaliatory evictions”, so tenants don’t face the prospect of losing their home simply for asking that repairs be made.’
The Deregulation Bill, which would reduce the number of years tenants are required to live in their homes before qualifying for Right to Buy, is currently at the report stage in the House of Commons.
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