The Lords committee stage is now complete after seven sessions between April and May. The Bill will now progress to the report stage.

 

What is the committee stage? (House of Lords)

The Parliament website says: "Committee stage involves detailed line by line examination of the separate parts (clauses and schedules) of a bill. Starting from the front of the bill, members work through to the end."

 

It continues:

"Before committee stage begins, amendments (changes) are gathered together and placed in order, then published in the ‘marshalled list'. Updated lists are produced before the start of each day of committee stage.

"During committee stage every clause of the bill has to be agreed to and votes on any amendments can take place. All suggested amendments have to be considered, if a member wishes, and members can discuss an issue for as long as they want.

"If the bill has been amended it is reprinted with all the agreed amendments."

 

When did the committee stage of the Renters' Rights Bill happen?

The Lords held committee sessions on:

  • April 22, 24, and 28
  • May 6, 12, 14, and 15

 

The Government initially announced six sessions but added another on May 15 to complete the stage.

While the committee stage typically happens around two weeks after the second reading, it began more than two-and-a-half months after in this case.

As a result, the Bill is now expected to receive Royal Assent and become law before Parliament's summer recess in July. It won't come into effect for at least two months after that, meaning it’s likely to become a working reality sometime between October 2025 and January 2026.

 

7 key takeaways from the House of Lords committee stage

During the committee stage, Peers suggested hundreds of amendments, including to some of the Government's flagship rental reforms. These include:

  • The abolition of Section 21
  • The shift towards periodic tenancies
  • The ability to appeal Section 13 rent increases

Renting with pets, guarantors, and RoPA were also discussed. Here are some of the key takeaways from the sessions…

 

1 - All 339 amendments rejected

As expected, the Government declined all of the amendments proposed by Opposition and Backbench peers during the Lords committee stage. So far, it has only passed its own amendments, which it proposed at the third reading in the House of Commons, surrounding:

  • Limits on advance rent
  • Ombudsman fees
  • PRS database clarifications
  • Restrictions on advance rental agreements for students
  • Protections for bereaved guarantors

 

2 - RoPA is back on the agenda, but won’t be included in the Bill

Lord Best used the committee stage once again to emphasise the importance of the Regulation of Property Agents (RoPA). He said:

"The Renters’ Rights Bill presents an important opportunity to take a first step towards creating a proper regulatory framework for the property agency sector."

 

Government response

Despite earning the support of several Peers during the committee stage, RoPA won’t be part of the Renters’ Rights Bill. However, the Government has committed to revisiting the regulation at a later date.

 

3 - Government rejects calls to limit widespread use of guarantors

While the Government has included anti-discrimination laws in the Renters’ Rights Bill, some Peers feel they don’t go far enough.

 

For example, Baroness Lister proposed limiting the circumstances in which landlords can ask for guarantors, providing data on how their use disproportionately disadvantages low-income renters. She said:

“Over the last five years, 550,000 private renters were unable to rent a home that they wanted because they did not have a guarantor that met the landlord’s requirements.”

 

She continued:

“Some 45% of benefit recipients and 43% of families struggle to provide a guarantor, compared with just 24% of those not receiving benefits or without children.”

 

Government response

The Government rejected the amendment. Many still believe that requesting a guarantor remains vital for managing landlord risk.

 

4 - Peers sought to clarify key issues around renting with pets

Despite the Government proposing measures to make renting with pets easier, Peers sought clarity on several key issues, suggesting multiple amendments. For example, Lord Black argued that without firmer protections:

“Families with pets will remain in an ongoing state of housing insecurity, with the threat of eviction always looming around the corner.”

Because of this, he proposed that landlords shouldn’t be able to withdraw consent to keep a pet, once it has been granted.

 

Government response

In response, Housing Minister Baroness Taylor of Stevenage, said: 

“When a landlord gives permission for a tenant to have a pet, that consent is binding and cannot be revoked, with the exception of the very rare occasion when that becomes an anti-social behaviour issue.”

 

5 - No significant court reform planned before abolishing Section 21

The Shadow Housing Minister, Baroness Scott of Bybrook, touched on a widespread concern in one of her amendments. Many in the private rented sector believe that the court system needs significant investment; otherwise, it will be unable to process the increased volume of Section 8 notices effectively. She said:

"This amendment would require the Lord Chancellor to assess the operation of the possession process to ensure the court service has the capacity to deal with the increased demand expected because of this Bill."

 

Government response

The Government rejected this amendment, emphasising its commitment to court digitisation to improve efficiency. 

 

6 - No extension of Ground 4A to smaller student properties

Lord Willetts suggested that the Government should extend Ground 4A to smaller properties, proposing that: 

"Smaller rented accommodations of one or two bedrooms should also be exempt from the general provisions of the Bill and instead be recognised as academic accommodation."

This said, he didn't press his amendment to a vote.

 

Government response

The Government maintained its position on periodic tenancies, and rejected extending Ground 4A to smaller student properties.

The Government previously added Ground 4A to the Bill to enable the landlords of houses in multiple occupation (HMOs), exclusively let by students, to make annual agreements in line with the academic year.

 

Housing Minister Baroness Taylor of Stevenage said:

"We recognise that the student market has a cyclical business model and have therefore introduced Ground 4A, allowing landlords to evict full-time students from HMOs in order to house incoming groups in line with the academic year."

 

Important note: In a previous version of this blog, we discussed 'exemptions' from periodic tenancies. We believed this to be true at the time, but have since clarified the information with the support of parliamentary and industry experts.

 

7 - Reviews of rent increase challenges before may be considered

Under the Renters' Rights Bill, tenants can dispute rent increases through the First-tier Property Tribunal if they disagree with them. There are also no plans to backdate rent increases if courts rule in favour of a landlord, which many believe will incentivise tenants to appeal. 

 

Addressing this concern, Baroness Wolf of Dulwich suggested that appeals should be reviewed before they’re sent to the tribunal. She said: 

"All appeals against rent increases should go in the first instance to the Valuation Office Agency and progress to the First-tier Tribunal only if there is a clear case to answer."

 

Government response

The Government praised Baroness Wolf's intentions while citing concerns about resource implications and potential delays. They also acknowledged that filtering out unfounded cases would help to alleviate pressure on the tribunal system. 

 

What happens after the committee stage?

The report stage is next up in the Lords. Here, Peers will further scrutinise the Bill, while also having a chance to make additional amendments. It typically starts around two weeks after the committee stage, lasting a few days, and will be quickly followed by the third reading. 

 

Finally, the Lords will return the Bill to the Commons for consideration of any amendments passed by the House of Lords.

 

You can track the progress of the Bill here. 

 

Will the Government accept amendments proposed by the Lords?

Peers have another chance to propose amendments in the report stage. However, the Government is likely to continue rejecting any made by Opposition or Backbench Peers — especially those relating to the abolition of Section 21 and the shift towards periodic tenancies. This is because:

  • Tenancy reform is one of Labour's key manifesto pledges - under the Salisbury Doctrine, the House of Lords will "not try to vote down at second or third reading, a Government Bill mentioned in an election manifesto"
  • Labour has a large majority in the Commons - in the UK's bicameral system, the Commons is the elected chamber and the Lords is unelected, so its decisions will ultimately prevail

 

After the Lords passes the Bill back to the Commons, a process called "ping pong" could happen before it reaches Royal Assent. This refers to "the to and fro of amendments to Bills between the House of Commons and the House of Lords", when both Houses disagree on the content of a Bill.

 

While the Lords can use "ping pong" to delay a Bill, they can't ultimately stop it because of the Parliament Acts, which limit the powers of the House of Lords to reject legislation. 

Put simply, the final Renters' Rights Bill will closely resemble its original form in September 2024, when it takes effect.

This article is intended as a guide only and does not constitute legal advice. Visit parliament.uk for more information. 

 

via [Goodlord]