Our November 2024 summary of the latest developments in Property law and practice is as follows:

The Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) has published a consultation seeking views on its ‘Service Charge in Commercial Property professional standard’. RICS aim to release a second edition of the professional standard in the summer of 2025, which will be aimed at commercial property managers, landlords, occupiers, and industry stakeholders across the UK.

If you would like to provide your comments and help shape the future of service charge standards in commercial property, please click the link here.

More updates shall follow regarding the publication, in due course.

The Renters’ Rights Bill has been introduced into Parliament by Government, as part of the Government’s commitment to transform the experience of private renting. The Bill aims to make the following changes in relation to residential tenancies:

• The abolition of assured shorthold tenancies and ‘no fault’ evictions. The Government state that this abolition will provide more security for tenants and empower them to challenge poor landlord practice and unfair rent increases, without fear of eviction.
• The ability to tenants to terminate a periodic tenancy on two months’ notice.
• Give tenants strengthened rights to request a pet at the property, which the landlord must consider and cannot unreasonably refuse. In support of this, the landlord will be able to require pet insurance to cover any damage to their property.
• New grounds of landlord possession which will include a ground available after 12 months of the tenancy where the landlord seeks possession, having provided 4 months’ notice to the tenant, to enable a close family member to occupy the property or to enable the property to be sold.
• The introduction of rent increase provisions which will restrict landlords from increasing the rent of periodic tenancies more than once a year. Any increase will have to use the statutory procedure; however, rents can be increased to market levels.
• The introduction of private landlords to register on the ‘Private Rented Sector Database’ to ensure compliance with the ‘Decent Homes Standard’. A new Private Rented Sector Landlord Ombudsman will be introduced that will provide quick, fair, impartial and binding resolution for tenant complaints.
• Apply ‘Awaab’s Law’ which will set clear legal expectations regarding timeframes that landlords in the private rented sector must take action to make homes safe where they contain serious hazards.

More updates shall follow regarding the Bill, in due course.