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UK: The Renters’ Rights Bill has completed its passage through Parliament – the final step before the Bill receives Royal Assent and becomes law.
This means the substance of the Bill has been finalised and any further detail will need to be introduced through secondary legislation.
The Bill will need final checks before it receives Royal Assent, and while there is no strict timeframe for this to happen, it could be happen by the end of the month.
After Royal Assent it will be up to the Government when it wants to bring in the new rules. Ministers have not yet given any indication of their intentions.
The only timeframe that has been confirmed is for the introduction of new investigatory powers for local authorities, which will come into force within two months of Royal Assent.
Royal Assent will see the King sign off the Bill, at which point it will become an Act of Parliament and move into law.
The commencement of the Bill could be announced at Royal Assent or some time after and is the date at which the tenancy elements of the Act, including the scrapping of fixed-term contracts and the abolition of Section 21 will be introduced. There will be a transition period between Royal Assent and commencement, although the Government has not confirmed how long this will be.
At some point secondary legislation will be announced. announced. This will include the detail of what needs to be included in new tenancy agreements, as well as the information that will need to be given to tenants whose existing ASTs will automatically convert to periodic tenancies at the point of commencement. Landlords do not need to use new agreements for existing tenancies at the point of commencement, only for new tenancies signed after that date.
Other provisions within the act, such as the introduction of a new ombudsman and landlord database are expected at a later date, and will require further secondary legislation before they can be implemented.
Highlights:
• The Renters’ Rights Bill has completed its passage through Parliament – the final step before the Bill receives Royal Assent and becomes law.
• This means the substance of the Bill has been finalised and any further detail will need to be introduced through secondary legislation.
• The Bill will need final checks before it receives Royal Assent, and while there is no strict timeframe for this to happen, it could be happen by the end of the month.
• After Royal Assent it will be up to the Government when it wants to bring in the new rules. Ministers have not yet given any indication of their intentions.
