Salisbury charity urges progress on Renters' Rights Bill
The act would abolish Section 21 no-fault evictions
Salisbury-based homelessness charity Alabaré is calling on the Government to push through the Renters Rights Bill sooner.
The act, which would abolish Section 21 no-fault evictions, is due for royal ascent later this year ahead of a planned introduction in 2026.
Charity CEO Andrew Lord said it's important it's implemented sooner to give people security of tenure.
Government figures suggest around 350,000 people in the UK are living in different forms of homelessness or temporary accommodation.
Mr Lord said a better system would be a boost for all: "Those numbers are quite shocking really, so we can make sure that people, when they're in living in the private rented sector have security of tenure, access to good quality accommodation, that the landlords do the essential maintenance that's required as well.
"I think that's good news for everybody."
He added: What we all need is a place to call home, it's not a house, it's a home. From that we can build for the future.
"So let's have better quality accommodation and that security as well."
While no-fault evictions aren't a common reason for people presenting as homeless to Alabaré, Andrew told us the act would help in two ways.
Firstly, it will prevent people becoming homeless to begin with, as well as giving stability to those who leave Alabaré's support and move into a home of their own.
"When people leave Alabaré, they go on often to live in the private sector accommodation as well. So knowing they will have greater security in their new home is good news for them," he said.
The charity's calls for progress come in the wake of the resignation of Housing Minister, Rushanara Ali, with the organisation urging the incoming minister to take decisive action in setting up a clear plan for tackling homelessness.
That includes providing more affordable housing, which the Government has pledged £39billion pounds towards achieving over the next decade.
Early next year, the Vagrancy Act, which makes homelessness illegal, will also be repealed.
We've contacted the Ministry for Housing, Communities and Local Government for a comment.