Member

Amendment 71 seeks to require landlords to forgo the last month’s rent and any other charges due if they have served notice to evict a tenant in order to move into or sell a property. While I understand that the aims of the noble Baroness, Lady Jones, are to compensate the tenant for being evicted through no fault of their own, I do not believe this to be the right approach. We have put much thought into the design of the grounds for possession and believe that it is key for the market that landlords have the flexibility to move into or sell their property when this is necessary. We have designed these grounds with safeguards to prevent abuse. However, it would not be right to go further and require a landlord to effectively pay the tenant compensation. A landlord who needs to sell or move into a property may be in financial difficulty themselves and requiring them to forgo the last month’s rent from the tenant would be an undue burden.