Next week, the Renters’ Rights Bill will go through to the next stage in Parliament.

This is game-changing legislation which will help provide more protection and security for those privately renting their homes, while holding unscrupulous landlords to account.

I recognise the vast majority of landlords provide good service to tenants, but the private sector can sometimes provide the least affordable, poorest quality and most insecure housing.

For a start, this Bill will scrap Section 21 evictions completely. Currently a landlord can carry out a no-fault eviction, but this practice will not be allowed to continue anymore, except for genuine reasons such as the property being placed on the market for sale.

The legislation, which has been welcomed by Shelter, will give tenants protection from unfair rent increases – something which has been called for by other parties, not just Labour.

We are going to give tenants the opportunity to challenge their rent increase at a tribunal if they think it is unfair.

Landlords will not be able to carry out an economic eviction by raising rent to a level the tenant cannot afford, and they will also only be able to increase rent once a year.

We are also going to ban rental bidding - the practice of the landlord setting a target level for rent which pushes prospective tenants into having to make higher offers.

The legislation will also outlaw rental discrimination – the ‘no DSS’ policy will be a thing of the past, and there will be fines for landlords attempt to pursue it.  Landlords will also not be able to have a ‘no pets’ policy, save for genuine provable reasons.

This will have the twin benefit of helping those private renters at risk of social isolation, and potentially reducing the number of pets ending up in shelters because of such a policy.

Most importantly, Awaab’s Law, which requires landlords to investigate and fix reported health hazards such as mould and damp within specified timeframes, will be extended to the private sector in addition to social housing.

I hope that this beefed-up legislation offers my constituents across Mid Cheshire who are privately renting a sense of security and peace of mind for the future.