Four major rent rule changes you need to know including rent repayments and keeping pets

RENTERS will want to know all about a number of big rule changes that affect their rights – we explain all you need to know.

The government published a white paper on Thursday outlining more rights for tenants to crackdown on poor housing conditions.

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There are currently 4.4million households who privately rent across the country.

But thousands are battling against poor housing conditions.

In 2020, 21% of privately rented homes failed to meet the minimum standard of housing conditions expected, according to the latest English Housing Survey.

Poor conditions are most commonly found in the North of England and the Midlands, with around 34% of private rented homes are classed as “non-decent” compared to 17% in the South East.

But the government has unveiled plans to give tenants more protection – we explain all you need to know.

Families and benefit claimants given more rights

Currently, landlords can refuse to lease out a property to someone on benefits, or to families with kids.

It means many people have struggled to get a roof over their heads because of this.

But plans outlined in the white paper reveal it will be made illegal for landlords or agents to place blanket bans on renting to families and those on low incomes.

Crackdown on poor housing conditions

A rule called the Decent Homes Standard will be extended to cover private renters.

Under this standard, homes must be in a reasonable state of repair, have modern facilities and services, and have a reasonable level of insulation and heating in place.

It used to only apply to social housing, but now private rented housing will have to meet these standards too for the first time ever.

The new rules are estimated to see 800,000 rented homes undergo improvements to hit this standard by 2030, slashing the number of poor quality home in half.

Should homes not hit this standard, tenants will be able to take their landlord to court to get their rent repaid.

Moving out of poor housing easily

You’ll be able to move out of your home without being made to pay any unpaid rent if it is of a poor standard.

Renters will be able to leave poor quality housing without remaining liable for the rent or move more easily.

It will be good news to the thousands of renters who live with mould and damp in their homes which is making them ill.

Keeping pets

If you have a furry friend, you might have struggled to find somewhere to rent that accepts pets.

But new laws announced today means they cannot refuse a request for a furry friend without a good reason.

It means landlords will have to be more lenient to letting pets live in the house.

This post first appeared on thesun.co.uk