A leading lettings agent supplier has posed the question whether the somewhat earlier-than-expected release of the arrival of the rental reform white paper, is the government’s attempt to divert peoples’ attention away from its failures elsewhere?

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In spite of a government claim that the White Paper would be issued later this year it was published at midnight with a major shake-up of the private rented sector, handing far more power to tenants away from agents and landlords.

Daniel Evans, chair of the Association of Inventory Clerks, says: "This has come a lot sooner than expected, which suggests political expediency and distractions on everything from the Rwanda debacle to the vote of no confidence last week are part of the reason for the White Paper appearing so suddenly.

“While the clarity and sense of certainty will be welcomed by the industry, it seems likely that parts of the lettings industry will be happier than others about what is included.

“The issue of pets is a thorny one, and something that is difficult to mandate, but it seems like the government is trying to make it more of a right to keep pets.

“The Section 21 and Section 8 [eviction] stuff has largely been baked-in already, with it long being known that these would be subject to reform, but it’s interesting that the government seems to have quietly shelved the idea of a landlord register or mandatory redress, which some had argued would improve compliance and help rid the sector of rogue operators.

“It seems certain that there will be opposition against some of what is included in the White Paper, so we’re all in for a bit of a bumpy ride yet.”

Some within the sector have been ‘fairly’ positive but at the same time extremely wary.

A spokesperson for a PropTech firm says: “The industry certainly welcomes the greater levels of clarity. But the White Paper is only the first step, as the White Paper's purpose is only to inform the Renters’ Reform Bill, which would in the normal run of events face a potentially tricky journey through Parliament.

“This White Paper reveals the government’s plans to remove Section 21, which the industry has broadly accepted. My hope is this document will also outline how the government plans to strengthen the Section 8 eviction process and provide more resources to the courts to handle the expected increased workload once these reforms are enacted.

“There will be a collective sigh of relief now that the White Paper has finally arrived, but the issue of eviction changes needs to be handled carefully to ensure that both tenants and landlords are treated fairly when implementing such a wide-ranging reform.”

A director of PRS online news websites, comments: "From speaking with our member agents, we know that the uncertainty surrounding rental reform has been a distraction and a source of frustration, so it's good to see that the White Paper is now with us. Most of what is being included in it has been known about for some time, including the scrapping of Section 21 and the beefing up of Section 8, but the part about tenants having the right to keep pets in their home with landlords having limited powers to refuse is likely to prove controversial.

"The issue has been boiling up for some time, with the pandemic leading to a spike in pet ownership and pet-friendly BTR apartments, but previous attempts to give tenants such rights haven't gone well.

"It will be interesting to see how much opposition there is against the pet proposals, given most landlords don't allow pets. The Decent Homes Standard for the PRS is definitely a move in the right direction to ensure all rental properties are up to scratch."

The Fairer Private Rented Sector White Paper outlines the government’s intention of making “a generational shift that will redress the balance between landlords and 4.4 million private rented tenants.”