Michael Gove's renters' rights bill to abolish no-fault evictions is watered ... trends now

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Landmark legislation which sought to abolish no-fault evictions and strengthen renter's rights has been watered down amid pressure from Tory backbenchers and landlords.

The Renters' Reform Bill - championed by Housing Secretary Michael Gove - will now include amendments to prevent tenants ending contracts in the first six months and hinted at delays to no-fault evictions being banned.

Dozens of Tory backbenchers had been ready to rebel against the legislation on the grounds that it would disadvantage landlords unfairly and exacerbate the shortage of private rented accommodation by pushing them out of the market.

In a letter to Conservative MPs, Levelling Up Minister Jacob Young acknowledged that 'colleagues and constituents have been concerned about aspects of our reforms' and that the landlord sector needed 'certainty'.

But changes which included a commitment for the Lord Chancellor to review the 'readiness' of the courts before no-fault evictions can be banned, prompted accusations from opposition parties and campaigners that renters were being 'sold up the river'.