Renters’ Rights Bill

Lord Evans of Rainow Excerpts

Tuesday 22nd April 2025 Lords Chamber

[Lord Evans of Rainow (Con)]

My Lords, I will speak to Amendments 42 and 43 in my name. These amendments probe why the Government believe six months is a suitable cut-off for 4A, the new ground for possession, being available to landlords.

Unlike my noble friend, I declare I did not go to university, so I am not familiar with freshers running down corridors. However, I have three children, two of whom have gone to university—the first people in my family to go to university. They tell me that their experience of the accommodation was very straight- forward and it was of good quality in their eyes. I also declare an interest in that I have a third child who is currently studying for her A-levels, so I am hoping that she will go to university. I look forward to a similarly straightforward situation in terms of accommodation.

Students like to get their accommodation sorted at the beginning of the year, away from the exam period. If tenancies cannot be agreed early on, this will lead to uncertainty on living arrangements and add to the stresses that students face. Most tenancies begin in July, and therefore the hunt for student accommodation will begin during exam periods. Can the Minister tell the Committee whether the Government consulted students and, if so, to what extent? Have the Government even considered the impact on students? It is very important that, at exam time, they are focused on their exams. Landlords like the certainty that their accommodation will be filled. Have the Government consulted landlords and, if so, to what extent? As my noble friend just said, the larger organisations that run this are one thing, but have the many family-run businesses also been consulted?

More broadly, the combination of ending fixed terms, introducing a two-month notice period and restricting rent payments in advance could disrupt the traditional student housing cycle, making it harder for students to secure accommodation early and reliably. We argue that the student model does not fall comfortably within this Bill, and that the student model is one that existed for some time for many years—successfully, in my experience. This change aims to discourage landlords from signing up students for tenancies months in advance, which is currently common practice, and I would be grateful if the noble Baroness could reassure me on those points.