Brilliant, the government’s new rent reform bill is going to cause total chaos for students

When the government announced they were introducing a Rent Reform Bill to protect people who are paying landlords to live in their properties, it initially sounded like a good thing. Maybe the health-damaging mould thousands of us are living amongst would finally get sorted out. But no. That’s not the priority.

Under the new Rent Reform Bill, which hasn’t been passed yet but was introduced to parliament last week, fixed term contracts will become illegal. Meaning, renting for 12 months or from September to June during term time just won’t be possible anymore. You’d be paying for a house you didn’t live in on a rolling contract all through the summer months. Or, landlords simply won’t want to rent to you at all.

After the shit show of the student housing crisis, this is literally the last thing anyone wants to hear. And experts are legitimately worried about what this reform is going to do to the student housing market. The National Residential Landlords Association (NRLA) told the BBC the government’s plans would “decimate” the student housing market and cause “chaos” at the start of the upcoming academic year.

Meanwhile, the National Union of Students pointed out that if students were made exempt from the reforms we’d lose out on the benefits (protection from unfair evictions and action against mould and damp) and essentially become an “underclass” of the population.

Brilliant. Roll on September!

Related stories recommended by this writer:

• All the depressing things you’ll relate to if you’ve ever lived in a mouldy student house

• Just a list of the absolute worst advice landlords have ever given students 

• Every single student housing disaster that proves we’re well and truly in a crisis