On Wednesday 17^th June the Government introduced the Renters (Reform) Bill to Parliament. Fact sheets, including a guide to the Bill and all related documents can be found on the Government website here: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/renters-reform-bill

In brief, the bill covers the following areas set out in the White Paper (A Fairer Private Rented Sector) in June 2022:

• Abolishing section 21 ‘no fault’ evictions and reforming tenancies
• Introducing wider ground for possession of properties in instances of ASB/extensive rent arrears
• Protection for tenants against ‘backdoor’ evictions
• A new private rented sector ombudsman
• Creating the private rented property portal

Within the explanatory notes, the following is stated regarding the exemption for PBSA with regards to abolishing setion 21:

Abolishing section 21

• 15. Purpose-Built Student Accommodation (PBSA) will be exempt from these changes as long as the provider is registered for government-approved codes, since these tenancies are not assured. Lettings by PBSA landlords are governed by the Protection from Eviction Act 1977.

Unipol will be running an event in late June covering the Renters Reform Bill, with details to be circulated shortly via both the National Code mailing list.