A diverse coalition of organisations have come together as the Renters’ Reform Coalition to offer solutions for reform to the private rented sector. The Nationwide Foundation both funds and contributes an active member of the coalition, which also includes national housing and homelessness charities, renter unions, advice centres, and thinktanks.
This week the coalition launched its blueprint for reform, which is a milestone in the national campaign to secure meaningful change to private renting.
Safe, Secure and Affordable Homes for All: A Renters’ Blueprint for Reform sets out solutions for reform shaped by the experiences of the renters that Renters’ Reform Coalition members work with – in communities, advice centres, student unions, through advice lines and expert research. The stories of individual renters sit at the heart of this blueprint for reform.
This report finds a private rented sector in urgent need of reform, and aims to help shape the government’s approach to the upcoming Renters’ Reform Bill, expected to feature in the May 2022 Queen’s Speech.
From making no fault evictions a thing of the past, to introducing open-ended tenancies, longer notice periods and an effective national register of landlords; the Renters’ Reform Bill must introduce the safety, security and improvements that renters need and deserve.
The number of people renting from a private landlord has more than doubled in the last 20 years. Yet regulation hasn’t kept up, and legislative change has been piecemeal. With the Renters’ Reform Bill, the government has an opportunity to give England’s 11 million private renters a decent place to call home.
The Renters’ Reform Coalition calls on the government to accept this vision for reform and introduce legislation that meets the scale of the challenge.