Consultation outcome

A new deal for renting: resetting the balance of rights and responsibilities between landlords and tenants

From:: Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities and Ministry of Housing, Communities & Local Government
Published: 21 July 2019
Last updated: 16 June 2022 — See all updates

Applies to England

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A new deal for renting: government response

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Detail of outcome

This is the government response to our consultation ’A New Deal for Renting’ on removing Section 21 of the Housing Act 1988 and improving Section 8 eviction grounds.

This includes details of the planned reforms to the tenancy system following the removal of Section 21 and a summary of the responses received to the consultation.

Original consultation

Consultation description

The government is committed to modernising the rented sector, and intends to introduce a new, fairer deal for both landlords and tenants.

On 15 April 2019, the government announced that it will put an end to so called ‘no-fault’ evictions by repealing section 21 of the Housing Act 1988. Under the new framework, a tenant cannot be evicted from their home without good reason. This will provide tenants with more stability, protecting them from having to make frequent moves at short notice, and enabling them to put down roots and plan for the future.

The government also proposed to strengthen the section 8 eviction process, so landlords are able to regain their property should they wish to sell it or move into it themselves. This will provide a more secure legal framework and a more stable rental market for landlords to remain and invest in.

This consultation seeks views on how section 21 of the Housing Act 1988 has been used in the past, and the circumstances in which landlords should be able to regain possession once it has been abolished, including what changes may be necessary to the existing grounds for possession in Schedule 2 of the Housing Act 1988.

We are also inviting views on the implications of removing the ability of landlords to grant assured shorthold tenancies in the future, how the processing of repossession orders through the courts could be improved, and whether the reforms should be extended to other types of landlords, most notably, to housing associations.

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