Renters rights become law

This week marked a huge milestone for this government as the Renters’ Rights Act became law.

This law ends Section 21 no fault evictions, a rule that let landlords turf people out for no reason. It gives renters the confidence to speak up about damp, mould or unsafe conditions without fearing they’ll lose their home. And it makes sure landlords fix serious hazards fast, thanks to Awaab’s Law, named after the little boy who tragically lost his life because of serious damp and mould in his family’s home.

My office regularly hears from people living in unfit housing. I’ve fought for those tenants, pushed the council and housing providers to act and helped people move into safe homes. Now, with this new law, they won’t have to rely on luck or persistence alone. They’ll have rights on their side.

Under the Renters’ Rights Act, every landlord must meet decent home standards – not just in social housing but in private rentals too. Dangerous damp and mould must be fixed within strict timeframes. Local councils will have stronger powers to enforce the rules, and tenants will be able to take their case to a new Ombudsman for quick, fair decisions.

This change is long overdue. The previous government did nothing while people in towns like ours lived in damp, unsafe homes. This Labour government has changed that.

We’re also ending discrimination against renters on benefits or with children. We’re banning rent bidding wars so what’s advertised is what you pay. And we’re introducing a national landlord database so tenants know who they’re dealing with before they move in.

This is what it means to have a government that stands up for working people. A safe, secure home is a basic right and the foundation of a decent life.

Here in Blackpool, that matters more than ever. We’ve got some of the oldest, poorest housing stock in the country. Too many families spend more than half their wages on rent for homes that are unfit. This law starts to put that right.

We’ve still got work to do. I’ll keep fighting for investment in decent, affordable homes for Blackpool and for the resources our council needs to enforce these new rights properly.

But this week we’ve taken a huge step towards building a better Blackpool.