Councillors at Rother District Council have backed plans to scrap no fault evictions.
At Monday’s gathering on April 13, the cabinet authorised staff to revise council procedures to reflect national law changes contained within the Renters Rights Act 2025.
The legislation brings alterations to rental agreements and introduces fresh legal duties for councils.
From May 1, the Section 21 removal process will be scrapped, stopping property owners from ejecting occupants without demonstrating valid legal justification.
This provision won backing from several members, among them housing portfolio holder Ruairi McCourt of the Labour Party.
Cllr McCourt expressed enthusiasm about the development, noting the removal of what he described as a harsh and restrictive law from May 1. He welcomed the change as positive for renters and suggested it would help address the power disparity between property owners and tenants.
He mentioned his experience working with four housing associations over many years, recalling how judicial figures consistently opposed Section 21 due to its mandatory nature leaving tenants with no recourse. He described instances where exemplary tenants who had never defaulted on payments or caused problems were nonetheless removed through Section 21, calling such occurrences shameful.
Cllr McCourt acknowledged that property owners would still be permitted to reclaim properties without proving resident wrongdoing under specific limited circumstances.
A proprietor may take back a home if they or a relative requires occupation. They must provide four months warning and cannot invoke this provision during the first year of a tenancy.
Cllr McCourt observed that certain property owners had been hastily beginning Section 21 procedures ahead of the cutoff date.
He warned this trend would probably strain the council’s emergency housing resources temporarily.
Officials advised they were prepared for a probable surge in requirements, though financial consequences remained unclear.
Members considered further ways the legislation might stretch council capacities.
The act grants councils enhanced powers to compel improvements in private rental property safety and standards. This encompasses a fresh requirement for private rentals to adhere to decent home criteria, benchmarks previously mandatory only for social housing.
Cllr Gareth Delany of the Labour Party offered cautious approval of this approach, remarking that while holding private landlords to identical standards as social housing providers represented clear progress, monitoring would be essential given enforcement demands and officer capacity.
Conservative member John Barnes commented that few would lament Section 21’s disappearance while sharing relief that members had highlighted the council’s position. He expressed concern that overall effects might reduce landlord availability at a time when construction remains limited and affordable housing providers show little building activity.
He emphasised concerns about implementation given certain obligations requiring substantial expansion of the enforcement workforce, potentially doubling over time.
Cllr Barnes advocated pursuing collaborative enforcement arrangements with neighbouring housing authorities, suggesting this made sense considering ongoing Local Government Reorganisation expected to see Rother and surrounding areas merge into a single unitary authority.