The Renters’ Rights Bill reflects the Government’s intention to transform the experience of private renting and to create a more level playing field between tenants and landlords. It is the biggest reform of the regulation of the private rented sector since the late 1980s.

Many environmental health practitioners work for local authorities on tackling poor housing conditions through formal and informal enforcement of legislation. Their work reduces ill health and saves lives.

Poor housing conditions are more common in privately rented homes than in owner occupied homes or socially rented homes (which are rented from councils or housing associations).

The Bill contains several measures that will affect the work of environmental health practitioners on tackling poor housing conditions in privately rented homes.

  • Abolition of 'no fault' evictions
    The Bill abolishes so-called no-fault evictions, which can be used to retaliate against tenants who complain about poor housing conditions.
  • Private rented sector database
    Landlords will have to register themselves and their properties on a new private rented sector database. Local authorities will be able to use it to help with enforcement of legislation.
  • Private rented sector ombudsman
    Landlords will have to join a new private rented sector ombudsman service. Tenants will be able to complain to it about the actions of their landlords.
  • Decent Homes Standard
    The Bill permits the introduction of a new Decent Homes Standard for privately rented homes. The current version of the standard applies only to socially rented homes. A reformed version will apply to both types of rented accommodation.
  • Awaab's Law
    Awaab’s Law will enable tenants in socially rented homes to take their landlords to court over poor housing conditions. The Bill permits it to be introduced for privately rented homes as well.

The Bill is likely to become law later this year. Many of the details about its implementation, however, will need to be set out in regulations.

We welcome the Renters' Rights Bill but are concerned about the large enforcement burden that its provisions will impose on local authorities and the need for proportionate funding that is sustained and predictable. We have also promoted two amendments to the Bill that would remove unnecessary barriers to the use of licensing schemes to improve housing standards.

A full statement of our views on the Bill, which are based on policy positions adopted by our Housing Advisory Panel, can be found in our Lords second reading briefing.

What are we doing?

We have been working to make the voice of environmental health professionals heard during the passage of the Bill through parliament. We have sent briefings to parliamentarians at various stages of its passage and submitted written evidence to the House of Commons Public Bill Committee that scrutinised the legislation.

One of our expert panel members, Dr Henry Dawson, gave evidence to the Public Bill Committee on our behalf. This oral evidence is available to view online.

Two CIEH amendments on licensing were tabled and spoken on by Liberal Democrat peer Lord Shipley at the report stage of the Bill in the House of Lords and previously at the committee stage. Lord Shipley is a Vice President of the Local Government Association and a former Leader of Newcastle City Council. His speeches can be viewed in this video from the Lords report stage and this video from the Lords committee stage.

The discussion of these amendments in the Lords came after Green MP Carla Denyer tabled and spoke on them at the report stage of the Bill in the House of Commons. She also tabled and spoke on an amendment covering the same issues during the Commons committee stage. Her speech at report stage can be viewed in this video from the Commons report stage and her speech at committee stage can be heard in this recording from the Commons committee stage.

We have met with the Minister who is leading on the Bill for the Government in the Lords. We also attended a roundtable with the Minister for Housing and Planning before the Bill was introduced.

We have welcomed a government amendment agreed at Lords report stage that will remove the current requirement for local authorities to give landlords 24 hours' notice of an inspection of a residential property. We raised this issue in our submissions to parliamentarians and as an agenda item for our ministerial meeting.

We obtained backing from the Renters' Reform coalition, which comprises 19 organisations and includes major housing and homelessness charities as well as CIEH, for some of our key positions on housing enforcement and licensing.

What are we calling for

  • CIEH is recommending that local authorities should receive ring-fenced funding based on the number of private rented sector dwellings registered in their areas.
  • CIEH believes that the fees for the private rented sector database and ombudsman schemes should provide funding for local authority enforcement of the provisions related to these schemes.
  • CIEH has promoted two amendments that would remove unnecessary barriers to the use of licensing schemes to improve housing standards (see our licensing campaign page).
  • CIEH recommended that local authorities should be able to conduct Housing Health and Safety Rating System inspections without giving 24 hours' notice to landlords.
  • CIEH has recommended that local authorities should be able to use Universal Credit information for housing enforcement.
  • CIEH has recommended that the Secretary of State should be required rather than permitted to provide guidance for local authorities on the administration of financial penalties.
  • CIEH has long called for national registration of landlords and welcomes the proposed private rented sector database as a tool to support the use of tailored enforcement approaches by local authorities.
  • CIEH welcomes, in principle, the proposed application of a Decent Homes Standard to the private rented sector but believes the various housing standards need to be consolidated to provide clarity for landlords, tenants and local authorities.

Further information

Find out more about what the Housing Advisory Panel is working on.

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