Over the last few years, we have all been wrapped up with what is happening with the Covid-19 crisis. However, there are a lot of things that are about to change, especially if you live in England and rent your home. There are some huge changes coming into force at the moment, and they can mean big changes for you.
Changes to evictions
During Covid, the rules around evictions went out the window and landlords were required to give people six months notice before they could evict them. Now, these rules are changing again and we are back to the previous rules around eviction. This means that bailiffs are allowed to join in for the eviction process too. If you are facing eviction it is important to learn what your rights are and if you are entitled to any help.
Animals allowed
Every year, there are thousands of pets that are sent to animal shelters because landlords don’t allow pets. These much-loved family pets are sent away through no fault of their own to live in cages until someone comes to adopt them. This could be no more as there will be changes to pets in rentals. Now, landlords cannot automatically deny a tenancy on the grounds of animals, and they must state their reason in writing within 28 days. We can understand that nobody wants damage to their property but there is a fine line that needs to be walked here. This change was made possible by the RSPCA who are concerned about the number of animals that need to be rehomed every year because of changes to tenancy.
Better properties
If there is one thing that a lot of tenants can agree on, it is that landlords have been failing to keep up with the maintenance of their properties. There have been countless horror stories of roofs collapsing, plumbing backing up, and rates in the walls. Now, landlords will be required to keep up some basic maintenance. If they do not have a landlord electrical certificate, they will not be allowed to legally rent the property. In Scotland, there is a change to smoke alarms in the property after the tragic circumstances of Grenfell. This will put a lot of tenants’ minds at ease as the safety within their homes has not been a top priority for landlords.
Brexit changes
The UK left the EU in January, and this has caused some changes to how the banks are dealing with mortgages. Some people believe that the rules around getting a mortgage could be relaxed but it looks as though the opposite has happened. Now, the changes in taxes and laws are causing landlords to sell up. This is leaving a lot of tenants with nowhere to go. The homelessness services within the UK are being stretched to the limit as people struggle to find a place to live. The changes that Brexit is bringing will have a lot of different effects on the housing market but no one knows what they are yet.
Homelessness
As we have already listed, there is an issue with homelessness, and it is being fuelled by Brexit. There is a huge amount of people who have lived here for years who are now facing homelessness over the Brexit points system. Many people are discovering that despite living in the UK for many years, they are being denied all of the things there were entitled to before. Many of these people are currently struggling to get back to their home countries due to the pandemic. So, this leaves them in between a rock and hard place. It may be a few months before they are able to sort out their immigration status in the UK or make their way back home. This is also being fueled by the change to the Renters Reform. Getting rid of Section 21 would mean that all evictions from people who rent would need to go through the courts. Rather than waiting for this to happen, many landlords are exciting their tenants before this comes into force. If it was made to go to court, many landlords would be faced with charges and cases against them.
And there we have it, some of the changes that could be happening if you rent your home in England and other parts of the UK. What the widespread changes will be, nobody is really sure. But what we do know is that there could be a lot of upset to the rental market as landlords try to adjust to the new rules.
