Tenancy measures will improve family stability, says Pickles

The package of measures unveiled by Communities Secretary Eric Pickles gives tenants the right to request longer tenancies from landlords giving them greater stability for families.

The move is designed to prevent private landlords from giving tenants little time – sometimes only one month – to vacate a property and find a new home, potentially disrupting a child’s home life, schooling and childcare arrangements.

It is estimated that 1.3 million families with children rent from private-sector landlords in the UK.

The measures set out a model tenancy agreement outlining the rights and responsibilities for tenants and landlords, which will become the industry benchmark of good practice.

Instead of having to regularly renew short-term rental agreements of six months to a year, longer-term agreements can fix the tenancy for a number of years with annual rent reviews linked to inflation. Such arrangements are commonplace in parts of Europe and the US.

It is hoped that a tenants’ charter will also ensure all tenants have a greater range of tenancies to choose from, know what to expect from their tenancy – including the standard of accommodation – and what their rights are if something goes wrong.

Pickles said: “The private-rented market is a vital asset to this country. The last thing we want to do is hurt hard-working tenants by increasing costs and strangling the sector with red tape. But families deserve stability for their children, and all tenants deserve a good and transparent service from landlords and letting agents.”

Campbell Robb, chief executive of Shelter, said the move recognised that private renting is not currently fit for families and needs reform to ensure tenants can choose what tenancy works best for them.

"With the market showing the pressure of fast-rising demand, renters must have real power to genuinely choose one type of tenancy over another.
 
"This is a welcome step in the right direction, and ministers now need to consider how to make longer tenancies a real choice for the families desperate for a more stable place to live."

Balbir Chatrik, director of policy for Centrepoint, said: “Increasing security of tenure in the private sector is long overdue but it must work for all those in housing need.
 
“The government is right to act to support families but we also need measures to secure the future of the thousands of homeless young people who struggle every year to find an affordable place to live.”