Evictions by private landlords have increased by143% in a year according to the latest Government?figures.
The Ministry of Justice also said 6,101 landlords in England started ‘no-fault’ eviction court proceedings between October and December 2022 – up 69% in a year – resulting in 1,924 households being turned out.
Homelessness charity Shelter said too many people were being pushed into homelessness and called for the Renters’ Reform Bill which would ban them to be passed into law.
The ban on evictions enforced during the COVID pandemic between March 2020 and May 2021, reduced the number of cases being heard by the courts and the number of bailiff evictions, but they have risen sharply since then.
A no-fault eviction under Section 21 of the 1988 Housing Act allows landlords to evict a tenant with just two months’ notice without giving a reason.
Shelter is urging the Government to bring forward the long-promised Renters’ Reform Bill, dating back to Theresa May’s premiership, which will ban no-fault evictions to give people more security.
Shelter chief executive Polly Neate said: ‘Every day we hear from desperate families who’ve been served with no-fault eviction notices for daring to complain about poor conditions, or because their landlord wants to cash in on rising rents.
‘No fault evictions are pushing too many people needlessly into homelessness and turning thousands of people’s lives upside down.’
