In an interview with LBC, deputy leader of the Labour Party Angela Rayner said that if Labour returns to power, she would aim to abolish Section 21 no-fault eviction notices.
Section 21 is often called ‘a no-fault possession’ because the landlord is not seeking possession because of something a tenant has done wrong — they just want their property back.
If the landlord follows the correct procedure, they are entitled to take possession of the property.
On 23rd October, a second reading of the Renters (Reform) Bill took place and, while the Conservative government said it was committed to abolishing Section 21, it would only happen once reforms to the court system are in place.
In a conversation with a landlord on the radio channel, Rayner was asked if Labour would “straight away” abolish section 21 if they got voted back in.
"Yes, I would,” Rayner responded.
The landlord retorted: “That scares a lot of people I think, a lot of landlords, I mean, it really does.”
As part of her reasoning, Rayner said: “We also need to make sure the court system is working and that we’ve got a fair balance between landlords and renters and, if I’m honest with you, I think the balance at the moment is much too towards landlords as opposed to the renters.
"There are so many good landlords out there . . . so I’m not dismissing that, but I think on balance, section 21 is causing misery for a lot of people because it is used to turf people out without any explanation or excuse."
