Cherwell District Council has welcomed progress in the Renters Reform Bill following the latest House of Commons Committee report.
Published: Tuesday, 14th February 2023
The council supports the report which provides recommendations to improve the private rented sector. Amongst the recommendations is the requirement to provide greater security for tenants through increasing the periods of time landlords have to wait before selling or reletting their property.
The proposed legislation would also introduce a legally binding decent homes standard and an ombudsman for all private rented sector landlords. This will help to ensure that tenants have access to safe, secure and good quality accommodation.
The timely report calls on Government to consult with local authorities to ensure that the civil penalties regime is fit for purpose. This will have the added value of ensuring that local authorities can take action through enforcement when necessary and work to drive out irresponsible landlords.
Councillor Nicholas Mawer, Portfolio Holder for Housing, said: “We applaud the House of Commons’ recommendations to the Renters Reform Bill. We have previously called for these crucial reforms to be brought forward and are pleased to see that progress is being made to bringing these before the Government.
“For residents who rely on the private rental sector, especially those on lower income, poor quality homes makes life much harder. The current cost of living crisis means that supporting our most vulnerable residents has never been more important.
“It is a basic right for tenants to feel safe in their own homes and be confident in the standard of housing they should receive, regardless of tenure. Whilst the majority of landlords provide decent, well maintained homes, there are a minority few that take advantage and offer poor quality and dangerous accommodation. This is why we support and would welcome any conversation with the Government around reforms to allow us more power to better intervene and escalate issues with landlords where necessary.”
The council offers a range of different grants and loans to support tenants, landlords and homeowners to make improvements to their homes. These include grants to help with adaptations for people living with disabilities, for essential repairs, and to help to help vulnerable owner-occupiers.
Information about these grants and loans is available on the council website.