The Homelessness Reduction Bill has passed its third reading in the House of Commons after winning support from MPs on both sides of the house. The Bill has now started its passage through the House of Lords. Our previous blogs on the Bill can be read here.
If the Bill is passed through the Lords people facing homelessness will be entitled to call on their local councils for advice to help prevent homelessness. Councils will also be required to treat people as homeless and offer them alternative accommodation at an earlier stage.
As part of the Bill it is likely that the government will make changes to the standard section 21 notice, form 6A and the How to Rent guide to ensure that tenants are aware of the new services.
In our previous blog, we mentioned that the government had announced that it would provide additional funding to cover the costs that councils will face in taking up the responsibilities. This funding was originally confirmed to be in the region of £48m but at the third reading stage in the commons an additional £13m was also promised. Furthermore, a commitment was made by the Communities Minister Marcus Jones to review the funding available to councils no later than 2 years after implementation.
While this Bill will benefit, the homeless and tenants it will also assist Landlords in reducing the number of tenants who are advised by local authorities to remain in rented properties until the bailiff evicts them.
