Eastleigh MP, Mims Davies, is pleased to announce her support for the Homes Fit for Human Habitation Bill.
Mim commented,
“I’m delighted to say that I, along with the Government, will be supporting the Homes Fit for Human Habitation Bill in the Commons today. The issues the Bill raises are raised in my constituency surgeries and I’m delighted that the Government is taking a stand on this matter."
“When I was PPS to the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, this is a bill that the Department was heavily involved in working on, to ensure that it was more up to date and more effective than previous versions and offers appropriate protections that build on current legislation without being overly burdensome."
“This Bill will require landlords to proactively ensure their properties are fit for human habitation from the beginning of and throughout the tenancy, and give the tenant the right to take legal action for breach of contract when a landlord fails to do so, which will result in a court order to remedy the poor conditions and/or award damages to compensate for harm caused.
“It follows on from the excellent work that the Government has already done to improve conditions in the private rented sector, including introducing a range of powers for local authorities to crack down on the minority of landlords renting out unsafe or substandard accommodation, making £12 million available to prosecute rogue landlords and letting agents, and protecting private tenants from retaliatory and open ended eviction orders.”
The Private Member’s Bill has the full title of Homes (Fitness for Human Habitation and Liability for Housing Standards) Bill, and will have its second reading before the House of Commons on Friday 19th January. If successful, it will move onto the Committee Stage where it will be subject to line by line scrutiny by a specially convened committee of MPs.