Every 16 minutes, a tenant aged over 55 is given two months to leave their home, according to new research by Shelter which unveils the toll of eviction worries on older renters.
The housing charity’s chief executive said it was a ‘disgrace’ that people who had retired or were planning to retire, after decades working in search for security, were left with ‘knots in their stomachs’ over fear of losing their homes.
As Parliament returns from summer recess, Shelter is continuing to call on the Government to push its Renters (Reform) Bill through, enacting its ban on Section 21 no-fault evictions.
Shelter’s research, conducted by YouGov, found that 28% of older renters, totalling 400,000 people, were living in fear of eviction.
A quarter of older residents said the fear was negatively impacting their mental or physical health – with 24% saying it had made them feel ‘physically sick’ in the past year.
Shelter’s chief executive Polly Neate said: ‘Older renters may already be retired or planning for retirement at this point in their lives. They shouldn’t have knots in their stomachs, constantly afraid that their landlord is going to kick them out of their home for no reason.
‘We hear from hundreds of over-55s who have worked for decades in search of safety and security later in life.
‘It’s a disgrace that so many are being stripped of a stable home by the gross injustice of Section 21 no-fault evictions.’
