The Renters’ Reform Bill has been seen by many as a silver bullet to rebalance the relationship between renters and landlords, but it will not be rubber stamped before the general election on 4 July.

Last month before the surprise announcement of the election the bill reached the House of Lords, but later it was pulled when the election was called.

Once an election is made known there is a “wash up” period up to the election day itself, where all parliamentary business is completed before the next government begins its work, and the renters’ bill didn’t make the cut of legislations to be finalised.

 What is the Renters’ Reform Bill

 Initially the bill was promised by the then Prime Minister Theresa May, and this was a commitment that was approved by her successors Boris Johnson and Rishi Sunak.

The main points of the bill are to scrap section 21 ‘no fault’ evictions, allowing a landlord to evict a tenant without any specific reason.

The bill would have made it illegal for landlords and agents to refuse to rent properties to people who receive benefits or have children.

Also the bill was designed to create a national landlord register through a new property portal.

This will give renters all the information they need to make an informed choice, before entering into a tenancy agreement.

The bill was also set to introduce new grounds for eviction for landlords, who genuinely want to sell their properties or move back in.

 Critics complained of bill being watered down

 Some leaked amendments to the bill has led to the government being accused of watering the bill down, for example Section 21 and no fault evictions only applying to new tenancies.

While existing tenancies would be forced to wait for  the reforms to enter the court system.

The The Renters’ Reform Coalition which includes Shelter and Generation Rent said that the government was committed to Section 21 in name only.

So what are Labour and the Conservatives going to do?

 With only a few weeks to go before the election renters will be keeping an eye on the campaign for any promises or pledges that may effect them.

According to a poll tracker by the BBC, Labour remain comfortably ahead of the Conservatives with a 20-point lead of 44% compared to 24% for the current government.

If Labour were to win then this would mean good news for those who are in favour of the bill, as they have said that they would pass renters reform legislation that they say would create a more level playing field for renters and landlords.

The award winning Goodlord, who can manage your tenancy process and are regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority, have said that there are many things you can expect from a potential Labour government.

It can be expected that the Renter’s Reform Bill is likely to dissolved in favour of another path to take on this issue, but Labour are also sure to be steadfast in abolishing Section 21.

In fact the party’s deputy leader Angela Rayner has said that in the event of a Labour victory, the section will be scrapped from day one in office.

Labour have also pledged to “close loopholes that disreputable landlords might use to exploit tenants” following the abolition of Section 21.

While the Conservatives had until 24 May to ensure that the reform bill was pushed through before the polling booths open, and the government has attracted criticism as this did not happen.

There have been no official announcements as to why the bill was not waved through parliament, and there has been accusations that the government caved in to pro-landlord vested interests by not ensuring that the bill was passed.

The bill was introduced to the House of Commons in May 2023, and at the time it was met with suspicion by some on the back benches that it would result in a lack of protection for landlords.

Yet a government spokesperson said that the failure to get the bill passed does not mean that renters have been ignored, and highlighted the fact that the bill was put forward in the first place in order for it to be passed.

This would also suggest that if the Conservatives were to pull off a shock election victory, then at the least a similar commitment to rent reform would be resumed.

Stephenson’s solicitors have said what this means for the future is that whichever party is elected would have to start from scratch, when it comes to developing new legislation around rented housing.

Therefore, it could be a quite a long amount of time  before any subsequent bill of similar nature is passed.