Renters' Rights Bill

Written evidence submitted by Mandy Mills (RRB70)

Written evidence submitted by Mandy Mills sent personally as both a student landlord and as a private tenant of many years’ experience as both. 

There are some aspects that I like about the RRB such as decent home standards and the Ombudsman but ultimately there are problems that need addressing that will have huge impacts that are against what I believe the government is aiming for.

I wish to make the following points:

· Fixed terms suit many tenants and should always be an option. The RBB undermines my security as a tenant as I had signed an AST until 2027.  Now with commencement of RRB the landlord will be able ask me to leave using the ground that he wishes to sell the property.  I no  longer have the security I had before. The RBB makes me more insecure not less.

· I run 3 high-quality student off street flats through a diligent property manager who works with me to provide exceptional accommodation for students.  I have no problem with Decent Property Standards and would whole-heartedly like to sign up to a GOVERNMENT APPROVED CODE in order that ALL student accommodation is exempt and not just PBSA.  The student sector is different to normal PRS and needs looking at separately.

· The definition of PBSA seems fraught with problems and the corporate blocks DO NOT meet the definition as defined in paragraph 12. As  I understand it, most corporate blocks (not the university accommodation) issue AST’s, NOT non assured tenancies (required by the definition) so there is scope here to write an amendment that covers ALL student accommodation including the off street accommodation in the PRS.  We can all sign up to the approved codes and all operate on a level playing field.

· Fixed terms work in the student market allowing security for both tenant and landlord.  In all the cases I have had experience of, a student who wishes to leave has been helped by us finding a replacement for their room and they have NEVER been disadvantaged. It has never been a problem for student or landlord.  It works well and is a normal part of student rental that an alternative is found. The relationships are important here and sometimes you can’t legislate for everything.  It just works.

· Student landlord will be forced to rent on a room basis rather than joint tenancy.  This worse for students as they could end up living with people they don’t know if one moves out.  They have lack of control over who they live with, that control will be given to landlord.  You can’t rent on a joint tenancy as if one leaves it ends for all which is obviously very insecure for the group of students.  Fixed joint tenancies make for security for students.

· Periodic tenancies  means more voids for landlord.  More risk means more cost (or exiting for some) and rents will increase.  That does not benefit students.

· The ground 4a is not fit for purpose. It  needs to extend to one/two student bed properties as the student market has many of these and I won’t be able to market my property until the previous student have moved out.  Result is shrinking  availability and less properties for students.  More risk to landlord always means more cost and higher rents.  The 6 month moratorium in the previous RRB was somewhat sensible but essentially you are making something complicated that works well and does not need changing.

· The student market will suffer enormously from this bill.  Both landlords taking on more risk and either exiting or putting up costs and students with less to chose from, higher rents and less control of who and where they live.  Why not take this market out of the equation?  If PBSA can be exempt (notwithstanding problems with the definition as above) there is no logical argument for including those student houses and flats in the PRS.  Have you specifically investigated how the student market works?  It’s different and needs bespoke legislation.  Don’t shoehorn this into a bill in an effort to reform a different sector ultimately. The student market is not the same.

Mandy Mills

October 2024