Michael Gove Urged To Firm Up Protections For Tenants Falling Into Rent Arrears

A coalition of charities including StepChange and Citizens Advice have written to housing secretary Michael Gove calling for stronger protections in the Renters' Reform Bill for tenants who fall into arrears.

The coalition of charities is also warning that polling by YouGov for the debt charity Stepchange has shown renters are twice as likely to be in problem debt than the average person. 53 per cent of private renters say they’ve found it difficult to keep up with bills and credit commitments in the past few months.

The Renters' Reform Bill, which the government has said will “bring in a better deal for renters”,  was initially set to include a range of commitments to strengthen the rights of private tenants, including abolishing section 21 ‘no fault’ evictions, introducing a Private Rented Sector Ombudsman, allowing tenants the right to request a pet in the property, and to make it illegal for people who receive benefits or have children to be refused accommodation by landlords or agents.

The bill, which received its second reading in September, has proved controversial, with The Financial Times reporting it was being held up in the whips' office because of “vested interest” among Conservative MPs, many of whom are landlords. Last week, The Sun reported the bill was on the brink of collapse with Gove held "ransom" by Tory MPs. 

In February PoliticsHome reported efforts to abolish fixed term tenancies in the Renters' Reform Bill could be weakened by proposed government amendments after pressure from backbench Tory rebels opposed to the reform. PoliticsHome understands there are around 60 Tory MPs, including some who are landlords, who have raised concerns about the legislation in private.

In their letter to Gove, StepChange,