The anticipated renters reform bill, aimed at abolishing no-fault evictions, will not become law before the upcoming general election. The Conservatives’ landmark legislation, designed to prevent landlords from evicting tenants without a valid reason, has been shelved as parliament faces prorogation today.

House leader Penny Mordaunt, in her Thursday update to MPs, conspicuously omitted the bill from the legislative agenda to be addressed before prorogation. Though the bill successfully passed through parliament in April, no precise timeline for its enactment was ever provided.

Levelling Up Minister and Redcar MP Jacob Young, during the bill’s third reading, passionately contended that it promised a more equitable private rental market for both landlords and tenants, aligning with the government’s 2019 manifesto pledge.

Reacting to the setback, Ben Beadle, chief executive of the National Residential Landlords Association, expressed profound disappointment: “The news comes despite the fact that the bill was in a state which would work for tenants and responsible landlords. There has been too much dither and delay in government, and a failure to be clear about how to ensure changes would work in practice. Critically, the market now faces yet more crippling uncertainty about what the future of the private rented sector looks like.”

Beadle emphasized the necessity of addressing the sector’s future: “Reforming the sector will be an important issue for the next government and we will work constructively with them to ensure changes are fair and workable. That means empowering tenants to challenge rogue and criminal landlords whilst ensuring the confidence of responsible landlords to stay in the market.”

The political and activist spheres erupted with discontent on social media platform ‘X’. Matthew Pennycook, MP for Greenwich and Woolwich, lambasted the decision: “The Tories' decision to cave in to vested interests and abandon the renters reform bill leaves in tatters the promises they made to private tenants five years ago. Labour will pass renters reform legislation that levels decisively the playing field between landlords and tenants.”

Generation Rent echoed this sentiment, stating: “Abandoning the renters reform bill as parliament dissolves means the government has failed in its promise to renters at the last election to deliver a fairer tenancy system. Renters deserve better.”

The general consensus on ‘X’ was clear: the next government must take more decisive action to resolve the rental crisis. The Joseph Rowntree Foundation highlighted this need, asserting: “Reforming the private rented sector must be a priority for the next government. We need to hear from all parties on how they plan to give private renters the rights and protections they desperately need.”

As the dust settles, the call for robust and effective rental reform grows louder, with stakeholders urging immediate and meaningful legislative action in the near future.