More than 84,000 households have been put at risk of homelessness due to no-fault evictions since 2019, renting campaigners have claimed.
Although Section 21 evictions are an essential tool for those evicting renters who get into serious arrears or damage properties, Renters’ Reform Coalition campaign manager Tom Darling believes the delays in abolishing it have led to “real human suffering and damage”.
He adds: “If they were serious about producing a ‘better deal for renters’, [the Government] would engage with renter groups about what is needed to fill the gaping holes in the bill.
“Sadly, we haven’t seen much of that – and the result will be many more made homeless because of England’s broken renting system.”
Renters’ Reform Coalition analysis of Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities data found that since the government’s promise to scrap section 21, at least 84,460 private renting households have claimed homeless prevention support after being issued an eviction notice.
However, it believes the total number will be much greater as the data only includes those households which claimed council support.
Shelter’s research from 2022 indicates there was likely to be about 75,000 section 21 evictions in a year, suggesting that the number since the government’s pledge is likely to be close to 400,000.
In a concession to rebel MPs attempting to moderate the Renters Reform Bill, the government recently announced that the abolition of no-fault evictions will only be scrapped for new tenancies, with existing tenancies delayed indefinitely until the Secretary of State for Justice has published a review of the courts.
The Renters’ Reform Coalition it is also calling for an increase in eviction notice periods from two to four months, a protected period of at least two years during which renters cannot be evicted under the new 'no fault' grounds, and a limit on rent increases within a tenancy, to stop landlords using rent hikes as a de-facto no-fault eviction.
Picture credit: Twitter/RRC
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