Michael Gove pledges to end no-fault evictions before general election

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The housing secretary Michael Gove has insisted that the federal government will observe by means of with it’s plan to ban no fault evictions before the following election, regardless of repeated delays to the laws.

The Conservative occasion‘s 2019 manifesto pledged to outlaw Section 21 – a provision which allows landlords to evict tenants without having to give a reason outside of a tenancy agreement.

But the legislation has been continuously delayed, leading housing campaigners to question the government’s dedication.

The renters reform invoice, which comprises provisions to outlaw the follow, has been going by means of parliament, however is no longer anticipated to be debated once more till subsequent month.

An additional 30,230 landlords began no-fault eviction court docket proceedings in 2023 – a 28 per cent rise in a single yr.

On BBC’s Laura Kuenssberg Sunday present, Michael Gove assured that no-fault evictions might be banned by the point of the general election later this yr.

Asked whether or not the follow can have ended by the point of a general election, regardless of his earlier issues that the courts is probably not ready to cope, Mr Gove mentioned: “We will have outlawed it and we will put the money into the courts in order to ensure that they can enforce it.”

Mr Gove’s laws has confronted important opposition from these inside his personal occasion, as practically one in 5 Conservative MPs are additionally landlords.

Late final yr, a sequence of Conservative MPs voiced their opposition to the renters reform invoice, saying it could add “to the burden of landlords”.

In the Commons, Conservative former minister Sir Edward Leigh informed MPs: “Banning no-fault evictions will make the rental market even more stagnant and will lead to a further drying up of it.”

He added: “And apart from adding to the burden of landlords, we don’t want a situation that happened in Ireland, where the regulatory burdens on landlords is such that the rental sector has shrunk massively and governments have paid the price in terms of popularity.”

Conservative MP Sir Geoffrey Clifton-Brown additionally mentioned the invoice would have a “disastrous effect” on areas together with his constituency “in reducing the number of rental properties, and therefore increasing the price of rent, and for youngsters this is really serious”.

The housing secretary additionally mentioned he’s doing every thing he can “short of laying siege” to the Chancellor’s residence to persuade him to put more cash into housing within the spring Budget.

Mr Gove mentioned: “I’m doing everything I can, I mean short of laying siege to his own home.

“Every day I send him a note or a message emphasising the importance of doing more to unlock housing supply.

He added: “And he gets it. So Jeremy Hunt is someone who absolutely appreciates the importance of supporting the next generation.”

Responding to Michael Gove’s feedback this morning, Liberal Democrat Deputy Leader Daisy Cooper MP mentioned:

“It is shocking that this Conservative government has repeatedly chosen to delay their promised ban on no fault evictions.

“Michael Gove’s words will ring hollow for those who have waited for so long for this urgently needed reform.

She added: “This government has turned a blind eye to the housing crisis in this country, 16 housing ministers later, people are still facing the same problems.

“Renters shouldn’t have to face losing their homes through no fault of their own any longer. Rishi Sunak and Michael Gove must stick to their promise before more and more families get caught up in these devastating consequences.”