Clause 26 - Tenant fees

Part of Renters’ Rights Bill – in a Public Bill Committee at 3:30 pm on 29 October 2024.

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Photo of David Simmonds David Simmonds Opposition Whip (Commons), Shadow Parliamentary Under Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government) 3:30, 29 October 2024

That goes a long way in providing the necessary assurance. It is necessary for there to be clarity, for example, where a contract includes not just the rent but council tax within a single payment to the landlord, who will then be paying the council tax on behalf of the tenant, as happens under some rental contracts. We do not want to create a situation where the local authority is pursuing a tenant for the council tax at that point, because the tenancy has ended and the tenant argues that they have already made that payment to the landlord and it has not been passed on. I simply wanted to ensure that, in the performance and function of the collection fund, which I know is high level and a very important part of the Department’s overall calculation of the level of local government finance, we are not at risk of creating any potential loopholes.

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