Keir Starmer’s party has also said it would “immediately abolish” Section 21 ‘no fault’ evictions
The Tory manifesto pledge failed to make it through parliament in May after a backlash from MPs. Housing Secretary Michael Gove ruled that it would not go ahead without a “full court review”.
The document added that it would go further to help tenants “challenge unreasonable rent increases”.
Tenants can already challenge rent increases under current law, but many choose not to because they risk being served with a no-fault eviction notice if they do.
To ban no-fault evictions “immediately”, as promised, Labour would – if elected – either need to cancel summer recess and pass the Renters Reform Bill, a piece of legislation the Tories failed to get through, or pass a housing emergency bill for the sole purpose of banning no-fault evictions.
The latter option, the NRLA has said, would result in less protections for landlords because it would not carry any additional grounds for repossession – such as if the landlord wanted to sell.
Labour has not said whether it would wait for a review of the beleaguered court system before implementing the no-fault eviction ban.
It currently takes nearly seven months on average, from a claim being processed for repossession to a bailiff repossessing the property, according to Ministry of Justice figures.
This wait time does not, however, include how long it takes for a claim – once submitted – to be picked up by a government official.
Such long waits, lobby groups have warned, could lead to unpaying tenants left in situ for months on end, and force landlords to swallow discounts if forced to sell with tenants in situ.
Paul Shamplina, of law firm Landlord Action, said: “We need the courts to be fixed – I’ve been saying this since 2019 when the Tories first promised to ban no-fault evictions.
“Landlords and agents need confidence that they can get their properties back in a timely manner. Currently, the court delays are unacceptable. There aren’t enough bailiffs, and there aren’t enough judges.
“At the moment, landlord morale is at an all-time low. Rent arrears are up, and over the last 12 months court system performance has been the worst it’s been in 35 years.Without confidence, landlords will just accelerate section 21 notices before the ban which means good tenants leaving properties.”
