16 October 2025
David Smith widely featured in property press on Renters Rights Bill amendments
Property Partner David Smith is widely featured in the property trade press, including Landlord Zone and Property Industry Eye, on the rejection of various amendments to the Renters’ Rights Bill.
The amendments that were debated in the House of Lords included pet damage, evictions, shared ownership ‘landlords’, student accommodation, and landlord prosecutions for non-compliance.
David has previously argued that the current five-week deposit cap does not reflect the unique risks associated with pets.
Now, he states: “The Government’s decision to reject the proposal for a separate pet damage deposit is disappointing but unsurprising. The original Lords amendment recognised a genuine gap in protection for landlords that has now been left unaddressed.”
David goes on to express his disappointment that the fresh push to reduce the amount of time a landlord has to wait after evicting tenants before remarketing their property to rent, from 12 months to six months, was rejected.
“In my view it was the most useful amendment because it stopped properties that had been taken out of the market to sell, but had not then sold, from sitting empty when they are desperately needed to house people,” he said.
Read David’s comments:
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