The members of the House of Lords have been accused of trying to delay the Renters’ Rights Bill and get concessions from the Government by tabling amendments that favour the interests of landlords.
Nearly one in five (162) sitting peers are landlords, and more than 100 have financial interests in property, lettings and real estate, according to research by the Renters’ Reform Coalition shared with The i Paper.
Analysis of the data by The i Paper found that at least 10 of the peers tabling amendments that advance the interests of landlords are landlords themselves.
Jane Scott, a shadow housing minister and Tory peer, recently hosted private talks with big landlords about how to thwart the bill, which will ban no-fault evictions, The i Paper understands.
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Lord Strasburger, Lord Carrington and Lord Jamieson, who are all landlords, have proposed amendments that would allow for fixed-term tenancies to continue. The bill is intended to abolish these in favour of month-to-month tenancies to give renters more flexibility.
Lord Hacking, another landlord and Labour peer, has proposed that renters should pay their landlords’ legal costs if they challenge a rent increase and are unsuccessful, which could deter tenants from making claims.
Two are crossbench – Lord Carrington and Lord Carter of Haslemere – and another, Lord Truscott, is not affiliated to a party but was a Labour minister in the 2000s.
‘Vested interests’ trying to delay bill
Mairi MacRae, director of campaigns and policy at housing charity Shelter, said it “beggars belief that a handful of self-interested landlords in the House of Lords are cooking up cynical schemes designed to bring the progress of the Renters’ Rights Bill to a standstill”.
“If the Government is serious about making renting more secure and affordable, it must resist this last-ditch attempt to weaken the Bill.”
Anny Cullum, political officer at renters’ union ACORN, said landlords within the Lords are “acting in their own interests and attempting to weaken incoming protections for renters”.
She added: “We urge the Government to crack on with passing the Renters’ Rights Bill – changes that could improve things for millions of people in this country – and call on these Lords to stop playing political games with the lives and wellbeing of renters.”
Who are the 10 landlords?
Lord Carrington Lord Carter of Haslemere Lord Hacking Lord Jackson of Peterborough Lord Jamieson The Earl of Kinnoull The Earl of Leicester The Lord Bishop of Manchester Lord Strasburger Lord TruscottHe said: “The idea that unelected peers, many of whom are deeply tied to existing property interests, could delay or water down these vital reforms – reforms which the government won a landslide majority on – is appalling.
Joe Powell, a Labour MP and member of the Housing Select Committee, said: “Under the previous Tory government, the Renters’ Reform Bill was continually delayed and watered down to the point that it wouldn’t have had as much impact for my residents as it should.
He said the bill must be passed without being watered down.
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Lord Hacking, Lord Jackson of Peterborough, Lord Jamieson, the Earl of Leicester, the Lord Bishop of Manchester and Lord Truscott did not respond to requests for comment.
The Earl of Kinnoull said his beneficial ownership rental property is in Scotland so the scope for a conflict is “thus very much reduced”.
“My amendments are technical and probing in nature, and about pet damage insurance, and intended to be helpful to English tenants who want to have pets.
Lord Carter said his position is “supportive of the bill as strengthening the position of tenants against rogue and unscrupulous landlords”.
He said: “I always declare my interests in meetings about the Renters’ Rights Bill. I support the Bill in general but I do have a few concerns that mainly disadvantage tenants in my honest opinion.”
He added: “As is standard practice with all legislation, the official opposition engages privately with a range of stakeholders to hear their views.”
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