Ministers are bringing in a fee to access rent tribunals, which had led to fears landlords could then use it as an excuse to force renters out or even threaten them
Renters will be charged just £47 to appeal rip-off rent increases after David Lammy personally intervened on costs.
Ministers are bringing in a fee to access rent tribunals, which had led to fears landlords could then use it as an excuse to force renters out or threaten them.
However, the Justice Secretary has now overruled officials who suggested charging over a hundred pounds, with the fee just £47, with no hearing fee payable.
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A Labour source told this newspaper: “That was the result of David Lammy intervening to stop officials’ plans for fees for rental tribunals running into the hundreds of pounds ahead of landmark Renters Rights Act coming into force on 1 May. This government promised that they would protect renters from no-fault evictions and empower them to challenge unfair rent increases and that’s exactly what David Lammy is doing.
“Introducing higher fees that officials recommended would undermine the security for millions of renters by opening a loophole in the Renters’ Rights Act and allow section 21 evictions by the back door.”
Previously campaigners warned with section 21 no fault evictions being abolished on 1 May, they were concerned any barriers to challenging rent increases could enable landlords to use rent hikes as a “backdoor” section 21, resulting in tenants forced out in economic evictions. Rents in England have already increased by over 32% in the past five years and now average £1,423 per month, with 4.4 million private renters in poverty.
The Renter’s Reform Coalition (RCC), an alliance of 18 leading housing and renters’ organisations, had previously written to Housing minister Matthew Pennycook raising concerns over plans to introduce a fee to access rent tribunals.
Clara Collingwood, interim director of the RCC, said: “When you have to pay to exercise a right, it becomes a privilege. Appealing a rent increase is the only protection private renters have from being priced out of their homes via unfair, above market rent increases.
“Though it is a relief the fee has been reduced from hundreds of pounds, any fee is a barrier to accessing justice. The idea that £47 is affordable to people challenging an unfair rent rise they already can’t afford during a cost of living crisis will come as a shock to a lot of renters, and the Government’s assistance with paying tribunal fees won’t cover most tenants struggling to afford their rent.”