Housing chief tries to reassure landlords over looming eviction changes

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Government officials have reassured private landlords that judges will be able to consider a wider range of behaviours before using their judicial discretion in ASB eviction cases.

Giving evidence to the Levelling Up Housing and Communities Committee into the Renters Reform Bill, DLUHC deputy director Guy Horsington (main picture) explained how the new wider parameters for evicting anti-social tenants would help landlords.

“We’ve heard that landlords find it hard sometimes to evidence anti-social behaviour and therefore by making the change we said we would – to expand it so that it brings in a wider set of behaviours – while maintaining judicial discretion, that should help landlords who are genuinely trying to deal with a problem tenant,” he told MPs.

anti-social behaviour

“We are taking measures to help landlords prove genuine anti-social behaviour that is discretionary, and we’re also maintaining our mandatory ASB grounds when there has been a proven criminal offence,” added Horsington.

Housing Minister Rachel Maclean (pictured) added that the department would provide guidance for the justice system and it would be up to the judge to make a decision.

She was also grilled over the impact of increasing Airbnb properties in London while councils reported that family housing in the PRS had dropped rapidly. 

She told MPs it didn’t have hard evidence of landlords leaving the market.

“We believe the market is still growing – we’re not aware of any more significant consequences,” said Maclean. “There are huge pressures on housing and a supply and demand issue, but I don’t believe that’s got anything to do with the very proportionate and modest reforms we are making to remove section 21.”

She added that the timetable for the Bill’s second reading was still on track.

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