Landmark Domestic Abuse Bill receives Royal Assent

Domestic Violence has always been a serious and emotive topic, yet since March 2020 and the first Lockdown in the UK, reports of violence in the home increased by 1000%. Victims were literally locked in with their abusers with no where to go, no possible escape. Our Advice Line deals with many different issues which relate predominantly to Landlord, Tenant lettings related matters, yet there have been “topics” which have become more and more prevalent - death of a landlord or tenant, mental health issues and of course, domestic violence within rented properties. It is the letting agent and / or property manager that is often faced with dealing with such matters - none of which are very straightforward or easy to navigate.

However, it is Domestic Violence that has come to the fore over the last 13 months, therefore the fact that The Domestic Abuse Act will provide further protections to the millions of people who experience domestic abuse and strengthen measures to tackle perpetrators, is a milestone.  

For the first time in history there will be a wide-ranging legal definition of domestic abuse which incorporates a range of abuses beyond physical violence, including emotional, coercive or controlling behaviour, and economic abuse.  

The measures include important new protections and support for victims ensuring that abusers will no longer be allowed to directly cross-examine their victims in the family and civil courts, and giving victims better access to special measures in the courtroom to help prevent intimidation – such as protective screens and giving evidence via video link.

Police will also be given new powers including Domestic Abuse Protection Notices providing victims with immediate protection from abusers, while courts will be able to hand out new Domestic Abuse Protection Orders to help prevent offending by forcing perpetrators to take steps to change their behaviour, including seeking mental health support or drug and alcohol rehabilitation.

In recent weeks, the government has added new measures to the bill to further strengthen the law, including creating a new offence of non-fatal strangulation, extending an offence to cover the threat to disclose intimate images, and clarifying the law to further clamp down on claims of “rough sex gone wrong” in cases involving death or serious injury.  

The Domestic Abuse Bill was originally published in draft for pre-legislative scrutiny and the Government worked closely with the Domestic Abuse Commissioner and charities to make key changes to the bill, ensuring the law is as robust as possible.

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