The long-awaited Rental Reform White Paper has been published at last and its contents are hoped to make the private rental sector fairer and less volatile towards tenants.
The name of the published document is ‘A Fairer Private Rented Sector’ and contains information on the abolishment of section 21 ‘no-fault evictions’, the changes to be made to section 8 and many other changes that are intended to rebalance the dynamic between tenant and landlord to a more abiding and just one.
Read our condensed white paper for an overview of the proposed changes that are outlined in the document so that you can be aware of the potential changes to come.
One such legislation change is how pet ownership is to be easier and more common in rental properties, it states that tenants will be given the right to request a pet in their property, and the landlord must consider which and ‘cannot unreasonably refuse’.
In response, the landlord can request that their tenants buy pet insurance, this means that the power to control what occurs in their property is not removed from the landlord, but that tenants have more power to ask without being rejected unreasonably.
In addition to the pet changes, the Model Tenancy Agreement will have been revised to make it easier for pet-owning tenants to find landlords who will accept them.
The intended effect of these revisions is to make a rented property feel more homely and increase its viability as a longer-term housing option for tenants.
By overcoming barriers that make it harder for tenants to personalise their living space once they have entered a tenancy.
Domestic pets have been proven to have a positive effect on owners’ physical and mental well-being by providing joy, happiness and comfort. The English Private Survey of 2021 revealed that 45% of landlords were unwilling to let their property to pet owners.
The core takeaway from this recent Rental Reform White Paper is that the private rental sector is desired to change its perspective on rental properties from a mere dwelling where landlords withhold power over the tenant and all times to a more balanced situation where tenants have rights that they can call upon in order to make their rented property more like home.
