Renters Reform Bill Published

New grounds have been proposed to ensure that a landlord can repossess their property for specific tenancy requirements, such as if the property is required for use as part of employment (i.e. accommodation tied to a workplace). Anti-social behaviour Ground 7A has been amended to change the amount of notice required. This means that if the landlord is seeking repossession due to a conviction of a serious offence, including anti-social behaviour, they can serve notice immediately. However, a possession order can only be granted by a judge 14 days after the notice is served. This is a mandatory ground for eviction. Ground 14 has also been amended so that notice can be served immediately if the tenant is involved in anti social behaviour, however, this ground is discretionary, meaning that the judge can use their discretion to decide whether this ground applies to eviction. The wording of ground 14 has been amended from “likely to cause” to “capable of causing” nuisance and annoyance. A judge would have to consider if the case met these criteria. Rent arrears There have been changes to the grounds relating to rent arrears. Ground 8 can still be used if the tenant is in rent arrears of 2 months or more at the time of serving notice and at the time of the court hearing, however, the ground is not applicable if the tenant is due an award of Universal Credit. Ground 8A is a new ground proposed for repeated rent arrears. This ground can be used where the tenant is in arrears of 2 months or more on three separate occasions over three years. This new ground is intended to tackle those who repeatedly fail to pay rent on time, but not penalise tenants who have had only one period of difficulty and managed to clear the arrears. Other grounds for rent arrears (grounds 10 and 11) remain the same but the notice period for all rent arrears grounds has now been amended from two weeks’ notice to four weeks.