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Parliamentary Debates (Hansard) Friday Volume 588 28 November 2014 No. 70 HOUSE OF COMMONS OFFICIAL REPORT PARLIAMENTARY DEBATES (HANSARD) Friday 28 November 2014 £5·00 © Parliamentary Copyright House of Commons 2014 This publication may be reproduced under the terms of the Open Parliament licence, which is published at www.parliament.uk/site-information/copyright/. 1191 28 NOVEMBER 2014 1192 House of Commons Tenancies (Reform) Bil Second Reading Friday 28 November 2014 9.44 pm The House met at half-past Nine o’clock Sarah Teather (Brent Central) (LD): I beg to move, That the Bill be now read a Second time. I want to begin by telling the story of one of my PRAYERS constituents. I do not want to give her real name, so I The Chairman of Ways and Means took the Chair as am going to call her Jo. She and her partner had a pretty Deputy Speaker (Standing Order No. 3). horrendous year last year and, in spite of the best efforts of our local citizens advice bureau in Brent, it all Sarah Teather (Brent Central) (LD): I beg to move, went from bad to worse. Jo was living in a studio flat That the House sit in private. with her partner, but there were real problems with the Question put forthwith, (Standing Order No. 163). property. The ceiling collapsed as a result of leaking drains upstairs and, to make matters worse, there was The House divided: Ayes 1, Noes 43. no heating in the flat. Division No. 98] [9.34 am Being a reasonable tenant, and expecting the best of her landlord, Jo reported the problems to her landlord. AYES Rather than trying to fix the problem, as one might Rees-Mogg, Jacob Tellers for the Ayes: hope would be the case, the landlord responded by Jeremy Corbyn and giving Jo and her partner a basin to catch the water Mr Philip Hollobone dripping from the collapsed ceiling. Understandably, Jo and her partner continued to press the landlord to get NOES the problems fixed, but the next time the landlord Alexander, Heidi Hoey, Kate responded, he did so by beginning eviction proceedings. Blackman, Bob Jarvis, Dan Jo had become a victim of retaliatory eviction. Blackwood, Nicola Jones, Mr Kevan I dare say that many colleagues in the House will have Boles, Nick Kirby, Simon heard similar stories to Jo’s in their advice surgeries over Bottomley, Sir Peter Lancaster, Mark the years, because, sadly, this situation is not as unusual Brennan, Kevin Lucas, Caroline as we might like to think. I hope that there will be time Brooke, rh Annette Miller, Andrew today for colleagues to air some of their stories. Jo’s Brown, Lyn Munt, Tessa story is also depressingly familiar to organisations such Chope, Mr Christopher Offord, Dr Matthew as Citizens Advice and the charity Shelter, whose advisers Clark, rh Greg Pearce, Teresa Cryer, John Selous, Andrew are all too frequently contacted by people who are Dakin, Nic Slaughter, Mr Andy facing eviction after making requests for repairs to be Ellison, Jane Stride, Mel carried out in their property. They are the victims of a Eustice, George Swayne, rh Mr Desmond small minority of landlords who would rather get rid of Featherstone, rh Lynne Teather, Sarah tenants than bring their properties up to scratch. Fitzpatrick, Jim Thornton, Mike It is because of stories like those that I am bringing Foster, rh Mr Don Timpson, Mr Edward the Tenancies (Reform) Bill to the House today, and I Francois, rh Mr Mark Vaizey, Mr Edward ask the House to support it. No one should be evicted Gardiner, Barry Williams, Stephen for asking their landlord to do basic repairs. No one Gauke, Mr David Wright, Mr Iain should be frightened to tell their landlord about a Gilbert, Stephen Tellers for the Noes: problem for fear of losing their home. No one should be Harris, Rebecca Mr Ben Wallace and forced to put up with poor conditions because their Heath, Mr David Damian Hinds landlord might retaliate if they make a fuss. This is about fairness and decency, and about doing the right Question accordingly negatived. thing. It is about upholding the existing law, and it should benefit everyone: tenants, landlords and local authorities. Caroline Lucas (Brighton, Pavilion) (Green): I congratulate the hon. Lady on securing this important debate. Does she agree that at the heart of the issue is a massive power imbalance between landlords and tenants, and that if we could get that power balance more in equity, tenants would be able to press for the things that they need in order to have a secure roof over their head. Sarah Teather: The hon. Lady is correct to say that there is a power imbalance. I will talk more about this later, but I do not want to skew the power wholly in favour of the tenant either. This has to be about fairness; both landlord and tenant have to be treated well. The landlord needs to know that they can let their property 1193 Tenancies (Reform) Bil28 NOVEMBER 2014 Tenancies (Reform) Bil 1194 [Sarah Teather] I have heard about many cases such as Jo’s over the years in Brent, and about many others, where fear of without being exploited by the tenant, and the tenant eviction has prevented someone from complaining to a needs to know that they can live in a decent property landlord about a problem. I know that this issue needs without being exploited by the landlord. This is about tackling, but I want to place on the record how grateful levelling things out a bit, through a relatively small I am to Shelter for suggesting this topic to me, for all its change in the law. work in campaigning on this issue, and for supporting me with preparation and drafting of the Bill. Nick de Bois (Enfield North) (Con): I support the Bill, but regrettably I shall not be able to vote on it Annette Brooke (Mid Dorset and North Poole) (LD): later—should there be a vote—owing to constituency I congratulate my hon. Friend on introducing her important business. Will the hon. Lady acknowledge that not all Bill. I also congratulate the many organisations that landlords are bad landlords, and that there are many have given it their wholehearted support. I wish to good ones providing a good service? However, there are reinforce a point that she made: there is a real fear of many rogues, and I welcome the fact that she is trying to eviction. I know of people living in damp conditions deal with that issue. who dare not put in a complaint. Removing that fear, without putting any extra burden on good landlords, is Sarah Teather: I agree with the hon. Gentleman. The vital. good landlords are desperate to see the system improve, because they feel that the present situation is damaging Sarah Teather: I absolutely agree with my right hon. their reputation. They do not want rogue landlords in Friend about that. The fear of eviction has a chilling the system; they want them to leave the playing field impact on the sector, and it also hugely damages the open to people who are decent and who uphold the law. reputation of good landlords and the relationship between Barry Gardiner (Brent North) (Lab): I, too, support tenants and their landlords. the Bill. The hon. Lady will be aware that, since 2010, renting has become £1,020 a year more expensive, on Tessa Munt (Wells) (LD): I congratulate my hon. average. It is now the most expensive form of tenure. In Friend on this Bill, and she will know that my team and the name of fairness, should we not also be addressing I have been working on this problem. As an MP, it is that issue? most distressing when tenants come to us with a problem, the landlord takes advantage of the fact that so many Sarah Teather: I am going to try to avoid getting into tenants are looking for properties and new tenants the wider issues today, partly because I am keen to ensure move into a property once the first ones have been that we have consensus on the narrow points in my Bill. evicted, and then the new tenants come to the MP with However, the hon. Gentleman has had this opportunity exactly the same problem, and this repeats and repeats to make his point and it will appear in Hansard. Also, itself, sometimes on a six-monthly cycle. the Under-Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, my hon. Friend the Member for Sarah Teather: That can be extremely frustrating, Bristol West (Stephen Williams) is in his place and he both for MPs and for those in local councils and in will have heard the hon. Gentleman’s point. citizens advice bureaux, who may see the same problem I shall be leaving Parliament at the next election, after in the same property over and over again. I want to 12 years as an MP in Brent, and I have put in for private place on the record my thanks to the citizens advice Members’ Bill ballots many times over the years and bureaux in Brent, which have campaigned on this issue not been successful. It is therefore a huge privilege for for a long time, and to Generation Rent, which has been me to be selected so high in the ballot this time, particularly very supportive. I also wish to pay tribute to the Under- in my last few months in Parliament. I recognise that an Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, awful lot of MPs wait for years for an opportunity like my hon.
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