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

To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what assessment he has made of the impact of the proposals to abolish no-fault section 21 evictions on landlords of student accommodation that is not classified as purpose-built student accommodation.

The Government's commitment to abolish section 21 evictions and move to periodic tenancies will mean tenants enjoy greater security and feel empowered to challenge poor practice and unreasonable rent rises. We want as many tenants as possible to benefit from these reforms, including students living in the private rented sector.

In July 2019, the Department published a consultation - 'A New Deal for Renting', on the implications of removing assured shorthold tenancies, which included a question on student accommodation. 19,697 consultation responses in total were received from a range of individuals and organisations. Since then, the department has used consultation feedback and extensive stakeholder engagement to understand the impact of proposals of the Renters Reform Bill, including on the availability and supply of student accommodation in the private rented sector.

We expect most students will continue to move in-line with the academic year. However, the proposed reforms will support student households who have children or local roots to remain in their properties after studying if they wish to. It will also mean that students are not locked into contracts when their circumstances change or if property standards are poor.

We will continue to consider the impact of our reforms as we move towards legislation and will publish a full impact assessment in due course.