Growing numbers of landlords are rushing to serve last-minute no-fault evictions before the ban comes into force on 1^st May.

The renters’ union Acorn tells The Guardian that these made up one in five of the reports it received from members in October, rising to nearly one in three by January.

Other charities and housing groups have echoed its concerns, such as the Central England Law Centre. Head of housing Hugh Wilkinson says he has been receiving a lot of Section 21 cases around Coventry and Birmingham, where long-term tenants are shocked by unexpected breaks in long-term relationships with their landlords.

“It can be quite upsetting for people,” Wilkinson tells The Guardian. “To think that they’ve been there for a long time and that the length of time doesn’t make any difference. The court won’t take into account the fairness of it.”

Outrageous

A spokesman for housing charity Shelter adds: “It’s especially outrageous that some landlords are exploiting this thin window of time to serve no-fault evictions. It just goes to show how vital these new changes are for renters.”

Landlord Action has seen a clear shift in landlord behaviour as landlords choose to regain possession and serve Section 21 notices before the rules change. February saw a 30% increase in instructions compared with the same month last year.

Obvious

Paul Shamplina (pictured) tells LandlordZONE: “It was very obvious that you would see a massive increase on Section 21 evictions. It’s going to get worse before it gets better for tenants.”

The trend is not limited to smaller private landlords as larger portfolio landlords and corporate operators are also serving Section 21 notices while they still can, says Shamplina.

“Some landlords are exiting the market altogether, others have reached a point where rising taxation, increasing regulation and growing compliance requirements have made letting feel increasingly high risk, particularly for those with one or two properties,” he adds.

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