The Renters’ Rights Bill has been dubbed the biggest overhaul of rental law in 30 years. The Government has said the legislation will end fixed-term tenancies, get rid of no-fault evictions and force landlords to fix “hazards” such as mould within 21 days or face a £7,000 fine.
It will also ban bidding wars by requiring landlords and letting agents to publish an “asking rent” for their property, and prevent them from requesting, encouraging, or accepting any bids above this price.
The legislation risks exacerbating a housing shortage, according to Mr Norris.
He said: “You can make a strong argument that any individual element is beneficial for renters. But when you look at the Bill as a whole, there is a lot of uncertainty for landlords.
“This won’t mean the end of buy-to-let, but you have a lot of changes that make private rental property less attractive to run as a business. You end up running the risk of reducing supply, and the people who lose out here are tenants.”
Tom Darling, director of the Renters’ Reform Coalition, said: “We need more homes, yes, but not more landlords. The number of privately rented homes has doubled since 2000. And yet quality, affordability and security of housing are worse in England than in almost any other European country.
“Landlordism cannibalising ever more of the existing housing stock is not the answer. The past 30 years are proof of this. Instead, we need much stronger protections for private tenants and more people owning their home and living in social housing.”
The Government was approached for comment.