Cornwall Council’s housing boss has welcomed the Government’s bid to ban no-fault evictions by landlords, but believes it needs to come into force sooner than its proposed start date next summer.

Housing Minister Matthew Pennycook said this week that the new Labour Government hopes a ban on evicting tenants in England without a reason will be in place next year. The plans are part of a Renters’ Rights Bill, which was published and introduced to Parliament on Wednesday.

There are many strands to the housing crisis in Cornwall, which currently sees around 27,000 households on the housing waiting list and 900 families stuck in temporary accommodation. However, no-fault evictions – or Section 21 notices, as they are officially known – are often cited as a major reason so many residents, particularly Cornwall’s young people, find it so hard to find long-term accommodation.

Landlords deciding to swap to lucrative short-term holiday lets and the unregulated rise of Airbnb and similar online short-stay lettings agencies are often blamed for a large number of no fault evictions in Cornwall, particularly in coastal resorts.

Many families find themselves abruptly losing the security of their home and have to be rehoused by Cornwall Council in emergency accommodation miles from their places of work, children’s schools and friends and family.

The Government hopes the Renters’ Rights Bill will make very quick progress through the House of Commons and the new tenancy system will be in place around summer next year. The plans must be approved by MPs and peers, who could propose further changes, before they become law.

Under the proposals, Mr Pennycook said landlords will still have “robust grounds” for regaining possession of their property if needed; for example, if they wanted to sell or move into the home, or if a tenant was causing anti-social behaviour or in rent arrears.

 

Places such as Porthleven are among areas of Cornwall seeing a reduction in rental properties (Pic: Lee Trewhela / LDRS)

Places such as Porthleven are among areas of Cornwall seeing a reduction in rental properties (Pic: Lee Trewhela / LDRS)

Cllr Olly Monk, Cornwall Council’s Conservative portfolio holder for housing, has welcomed the move, but wishes it could have been made sooner.

He told us: “This will give a real stable rental market for people. I’m a bit disappointed it’s not going to be implemented until next summer. It was on the work programme for the previous government but they didn’t get around to doing it. It will be interesting to see when this government gets around to doing it, if they actually do it.

“It will be interesting to see how it affects the short-term let market, as obviously we get a lot of tenancies in Cornwall for a short-term of six months and then people choose to rent out their properties for the remaining six months. It will be interesting to see how that affects both the availability of holiday lets and rented properties.

“Until it happens, I don’t know which way it will go. It could go either way. It could end up with more holiday lets available on the market for 12 months or less holiday lets because there’s more long-term let properties.”

He added: “I think it’s something that’s broadly welcomed by most people. Landlords will still have the certainty that should they have a troublesome tenant it still allows them to end that tenancy and evict.”

Cllr Monk said the Section 21 notice allowed landlords to “kick the tenants out after six months and then put someone else in on a higher rent, which is simply profiteering from a rising rental market. If this gives protection to those people who are renting, then that’s good”.