Tenancy Reform Bill 2024

Recently, the UK government has introduced draft legislation called the Renters’ Rights Bill, which aims to address several key issues for tenants. The proposed changes include ending "no-fault" evictions, giving tenants the right to have pets, banning rental bidding wars, ensuring repairs are completed within a set timeframe, and removing blanket bans on renting to families with children or those receiving benefits.

Since housing legislation is devolved, these changes will not apply in Scotland, with one notable exception. Scotland already banned "no-fault" evictions for new tenancies back in 2017. The Scottish Government is also working on its own reforms through the Housing (Scotland) Bill, which includes provisions to prevent landlords from unreasonably refusing tenants' requests to keep pets.

The part of the Renters’ Rights Bill that does apply to Scotland, as well as to England and Wales, relates to discrimination against tenants with children or those on benefits. This includes outlawing explicit discriminatory practices like "No DSS" adverts and indirect actions such as requiring higher deposits or advanced rent payments that are not applied to other tenants. While landlords can still assess a tenant’s income to determine affordability, the Bill prohibits any terms in insurance or mortgage agreements that restrict occupancy based on whether children or benefit recipients live in the property.

Sal will keep members updated with the progress of this aspect of the Bill.