General Election 2019

With the general election looming we have put together a quick summary of what the three main parties are proposing that may affect landlords and tenants.

The Labour Party proposes to end Right to Rent checks and stop landlords excluding tenants in receipt of housing benefit. They will also introduce local rent controls by capping them with inflation. Introduce new open-ended tenancies to stop ‘no fault’ evictions and create minimum legal standards for rented properties enforced through nationwide licensing. To read their full manifesto please click here.

The Conservative Party have promised to ban Section 21 notices, which allow landlords to evict tenants without a reason after their fixed-term tenancy ends. They will also introduce transferable deposits called ‘Lifetime Deposits’. To read their full manifesto please click here.

The Liberal Democrats have pledged to help young people into the rental market by establishing a new Help to Rent scheme to provide government-backed tenancy deposit loans for all first-time renters under 30. Promote longer, three-year compulsory tenancies and ensure they feature inflation-linked and built-in annual rent increases to give tenants security and limit rent hikes. Introduce a national, mandatory licensing scheme for landlords.