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2,441 recent contributions in Hansard
HANSARDRenters (Reform) Bill (Fifth sitting)I beg to move amendment 149, in clause 3, page 2, line 32, at end insert— “(aa) After subsection (5) insert— ‘(5ZA) The court shall not make an order for possession under Ground…21 Nov 2023HANSARDRenters (Reform) Bill (Sixth sitting)I will happily give way to the Minister again if he can say how the judge would prove an intent to sell or occupy the property without evidential requirements. The judge does not…21 Nov 2023HANSARDRenters (Reform) Bill (Sixth sitting)That is some progress. If we have a commitment from the Minister that we will get detailed guidance that landlords need to submit—21 Nov 2023HANSARDRenters (Reform) Bill (Sixth sitting)That is a reasonable point. Landlords will adapt to the system. They will have it in mind that they must automatically make an offer to the sitting tenant. If they determine that…21 Nov 2023HANSARDRenters (Reform) Bill (Sixth sitting)I say two things to the Minister. First, the minimum notice periods are from the date of service of the notice. I take the point about court reform, but this is at the point of…21 Nov 2023HANSARDRenters (Reform) Bill (Sixth sitting)I will be very brief. The Minister and I discussed this subject outside the Committee earlier. As he knows, the Levelling-up and Regeneration Act 2023 has created a new kind of…21 Nov 2023HANSARDRenters (Reform) Bill (Sixth sitting)Paragraph 20 of schedule 1 amends ground 7 in schedule 2 to the Housing Act 1988. Ground 7 requires a court to award possession if a tenancy has been passed to someone by will or…21 Nov 2023HANSARDRenters (Reform) Bill (Sixth sitting)I will not withdraw the amendment; I am going to press it to a vote because, again, I do not think the Government have got the balance right. I do not think that two months’…21 Nov 2023HANSARDRenters (Reform) Bill (Sixth sitting)We do take a different view, because, as I have said, it is reasonable that landlords should offer first refusal to tenants. I do not know how many landlords out there are…21 Nov 2023HANSARDRenters (Reform) Bill (Sixth sitting)My colleagues behind me are making the case for me. In that scenario, I respectfully say that the landlord could legitimately exercise ground 1 and, within six months, take the…21 Nov 2023HANSARDRenters (Reform) Bill (Sixth sitting)We are disappointed with the Minister’s response, for the following reasons. We will, no doubt, hear ad nauseam about the Government’s intention and the obvious need, with which…21 Nov 2023HANSARDRenters (Reform) Bill (Sixth sitting)That is welcome, but I think the concern is still there, because what does the guidance say? We do not know. What proof does it ask for? We have a clear set of evidential…21 Nov 2023HANSARDRenters (Reform) Bill (Fifth sitting)As we have already discussed, clause 3 amends the grounds for possession in schedule 2 to the Housing Act 1988, by means of the changes set out in schedule 1 to the Bill.…21 Nov 2023HANSARDRenters (Reform) Bill (Fifth sitting)I welcome that clarification, Mr Gray.21 Nov 2023HANSARDRenters (Reform) Bill (Fifth sitting)I will come on to our view of precisely how the county court system is operating, but I think it would be fair to say that we do not necessarily buy the Government’s argument that…21 Nov 2023HANSARDRenters (Reform) Bill (Sixth sitting)I take on board what the Minister says about the rationale for the 24-month period for social rented landlords. The situation he mentioned would not arise if he accepted amendment…21 Nov 2023HANSARDRenters (Reform) Bill (Fifth sitting)I think the Minister has to be very careful on that point. It depends on what the enforcement action is, and on the degree to which the landlord is at fault. The enforcement…21 Nov 2023HANSARDRenters (Reform) Bill (Fifth sitting)I have been on enough Bill Committees to know that the Minister has been sent out with explicit instructions to resist amendments—we all understand that—but the Government will…21 Nov 2023HANSARDRenters (Reform) Bill (Fifth sitting)I thank the hon. Member for his intervention. Perhaps I have not explained myself clearly. These amendments do not provide for an appeals process. As I have tried to make clear,…21 Nov 2023HANSARDRenters (Reform) Bill (Fifth sitting)Clause 3 amends the grounds for possession in schedule 2 to the 1988 Act, by means of the changes set out in schedule 1 to the Bill, which we will debate separately later today.…21 Nov 2023