The government wants to bring in minimum three-year tenancy contracts for tenants, but landlords are not happy. They say most tenants don’t want this.
Government Consultation Paper
James Brokenshire, the Housing, Communities, and Local Government secretary, is calling for longer tenancy agreements as standard. He says it will give tenants greater security and peace of mind. A new consultation paper published today will recommend that tenancy agreements should be increased to a three-year term, with the option for tenants to end it earlier if they choose.
“It is deeply unfair when renters are forced to uproot their lives or find new schools for their children at short notice due to the terms of their rental contract,” says Brokenshire.
He strongly believes longer fixed term tenancies will be beneficial for tenants and give them greater protection.
Most Tenants Happy with Current Arrangements
Most tenancies in the UK are fixed between six-months and a year. This is standard in the buy to let sector. However, as things stand, landlords can evict a tenant at short notice, for any reason. The NLA has carried out research. It says only 40% of tenants want a longer tenancy. More than half of all tenants say they are happy with the status quo.
“It’s hard not to see this as more of a political move aimed at the renter vote than a genuine effort to improve how the rented market works for all those involved,” says Richard Lambert from the NLA.
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