The Times has today reported that a third of private residential landlords are likely to reduce the number of properties available for private rent in their portfolios. This is despite big demand for available accommodation in the market and a substantial increase in average rents. This abandonment is attributed to costly taxation on buy-to-let properties, increases in mortgage repayments and changes to energy efficiency standards. Amid a cost-of-living crisis private renters are going to face more challenges in finding suitable accommodation available at reasonable rents.

So, is the Renters Reform Bill, expected before Parliament by the end of May 2023, the answer for private renters? The government has labelled it "a new blueprint that will end the injustice of unfit homes and help protect renters from rising cost of living".

The Bill is expected to present a whole host of changes to the sector including the headline reform of the abolition of Section 21 and the repeal of "non-fault" evictions. But there is concern that the expected changes, which are far-reaching, will drive good landlords out of the sector and reduce the number of properties available for private rent even further.

Ironically, the government's determination for a greater supply of private rental accommodation was one of the key drivers for the introduction of Section 21 in the 1980s. Therefore, it is not difficult to understand how some may see the current government's ambition to abolish Section 21 as short-sighted and even more damaging for renters in the long term.

In the current landscape, it remains to be seen how these proposed legislative changes will play out later this year.