Propertymark has submitted written evidence to the Public Bill Committee on the Renters (Reform) Bill, citing data demonstrating the level of concern amongst our members about measures likely to make the PRS increasingly hostile to property owners and the unintended consequences for people in need of homes.

Collaborating with other leading sector organisations, forums and landlord associations, the Housing Coalition's first in-person meeting was held at Propertymark's offices in London on 22 November 2023.

Extra policing will be deployed in ten initial target areas before the plan is rolled out across England and Wales in 2024. The public will also have a simpler way to report ASB (anti-social behaviour), and perpetrators could face penalties within 48 hours.

Representing members, Timothy Douglas, Propertymark’s Head of Policy and Campaigns, presented evidence at the first sitting of the Public Bill Committee on the Renters (Reform) Bill citing member data that demand for rental property was up 32% in August 2023 and underlining the importance of the PRS to the UK housing market, which is struggling due to the lack of affordable housing.

The Levelling Up, Housing and Communities Committee (LUHCC) has objected to suggestions that delays to the ban on ‘no fault’ evictions are the result of recommendations made in the Committee’s Reforming the Private Rented Sector report. Committee Chair, Clive Betts, MP, stated it was difficult to understand the lack of urgency and transparency around court reforms.

Timothy Douglas, Propertymark’s Head of Policy and Campaigns will give oral evidence to the Public Bill Committee on the Renters (Reform) Bill in Westminster on Tuesday 14 November 2023, as the only professional membership body representing the sector in this process.

The UK Government has outlined its priorities for the months ahead at the State Opening of Parliament which includes a ban on new leasehold houses in England and Wales and the delivery of the much-discussed Renter’s (Reform) Bill.

The Second Reading took place on 23 October 2023 and MPs from across the political spectrum largely welcomed the framework of the Bill. However, the debate revealed a number of key areas – including judicial reform, notice periods and anti-social behaviour - that are likely to be the focus of discussion as the process now moves into the Committee Stage.

Rt Hon Michael Gove MP reiterated the tone of the UK Government’s response to the Levelling Up, Housing and Communities Committee, published Friday 20 October, with repeated references to balancing the needs of tenants and landlords in the progress of the Renters (Reform) Bill through the UK parliament.

With the Renters (Reform) Bill receiving its Second Reading in the House of Commons today, 23 October 2023, the UK Government has responded to recommendations made by the Levelling Up, Housing and Communities Committee (LUHCC), promising to align the removal of Section 21 with court improvements, protect the right of landlords to set rents in line with the market, and ensure the student market is protected with a new ground to guarantee landlords can gain possession each year.

Today, 19 October 2023, the Leader of the House of Commons the Rt. Hon. Penny Mordaunt MP announced that the Renters (Reform) Bill would return to Parliament for its Second Reading on Monday 23 October 2023. Propertymark has actively engaged with MPs on the content of the Bill throughout the summer and during our attendance at the party conferences. We have sent a full briefing to over 500 MPs before the debate to ensure our members' views are heard and reflected in the Bill.

Shadow Levelling Up, Housing and Communities Secretary, and Deputy Leader, Angela Rayner MP put housing at the centre of her speech to the Labour Party conference on Sunday 8 October 2023, committing to deliver the biggest boost in affordable and social housing for a generation.

In his keynote speech to the Conservative Party Conference delegates yesterday, 3 October 2023, Michael Gove MP focused more on UK Government achievements but failed to deliver anything new on housebuilding or the Renters’ Reform Bill.

In a letter to the Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice, Alex Chalk KC MP, Propertymark CEO, Nathan Emerson has laid out the potential consequences of failure to prepare the legal system for the introduction of Renters’ Reform measures and offered to support the UK Government in ensuring reliable access to justice.

Nathan Emerson, Propertymark CEO, has written to the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities on behalf of a housing sector coalition, highlighting issues caused when a tenant abandons a rented property and pressing for stronger protections for landlords.

Michael Gove MP, Secretary of State for Levelling Up outlined plans to unleash building on underused sites in high-demand regions, along with a new design code to improve the quality of new homes, with the UK Government committing to passing the Levelling Up and Regeneration Bill and updates to the National Planning Policy Framework later in 2023.