Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, if he will take steps to provide additional protection to tenants facing eviction as a result of the end of an assured shorthold tenancy.

Under the Assured Shorthold Tenancy regime, which is now the most common form of tenancy in the private rented sector, tenants have a minimum of 6 months security of tenure. According to the English Housing Survey, 10 per cent of tenants moved because they were asked to leave or were given notice by their landlord. A landlord can only seek possession within the fixed term tenancy period by applying to the court for a possession in accordance with section 8 of the Housing Act 1988 on one or more of the grounds contained in schedule 2.

Outside of the fixed term period, a landlord can evict a tenant using a Section 21 notice but only where the landlord has complied with certain legal obligations. These include protecting their tenants’ deposit in a Tenancy Deposit Protection scheme, providing Gas Safety Certificates, and also providing a copy of the Government’s ‘How to Rent’ guide.

The Government is committed to making renting more secure. On 2 July, we launched a consultation on overcoming the barriers to longer tenancies in the private rented sector. We are seeking views on a three year longer tenancy model with a six month break clause to allow tenants and landlords to exit the agreement early if needed. The Government will consider the responses to the consultation and set out next steps later in the year. The consultation document is available at https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/overcoming-the-barriers-to-longer-tenancies-in-the-private-rented-sector.