No-fault eviction threat up 76% for renters

Thousands of tenants have been put at risk of being made homeless after a 76% jump in the number of no-fault eviction notices issued by landlords.

Some 5,940 households in England faced this risk due to a Section 21 eviction notice between April and June - up from 3,380 in the same period in 2021.

Charities predict the situation will worsen over winter and are calling for reform of the private renting sector.

The government has committed to abolishing Section 21 evictions.

Section 21s are known as no-fault evictions because landlords do not need to give a reason.

In September, Melanie Davies, 61, and Chiara Bertotti, 67, were served a notice for their bungalow in Firle, East Sussex.

Ms Davies said: "We've never been in arrears. We haven't destroyed the property. There's no written reason why this should be happening.

"It feels wrong, because I think if you're going to alter someone's life in such a massive way you should have to give a reason for it."

The pair, both carpenters, were also told the lease for their workshop, belonging to the same landlord, would not be renewed.

"I had to cancel all jobs in the winter," Ms Bertotti said. "We don't have a place to work after the 23rd of December. We don't have jobs, we don't have a home.

"If we don't find anywhere, then the only other recourse is to register as homeless with the local council."

Between April and June this year, 33,570 households told their council they were threatened with homelessness, meaning they were likely to become homeless within 56 days.

This was a 5% increase from one year before, when a ban on bailiff-enforced evictions introduced during the Covid-19 pandemic was still in place.

"Since those protections have been taken away, we are seeing that drive up again," said Jasmine Basran, head of policy at Crisis.

The new government data shows that between January and March this year, a record high of 6,540 faced this threat due to a valid Section 21 notice.

When issued a Section 21 notice, tenants are given two months' notice.

In the year ending March 2021, a fifth of households threatened with homelessness eventually lost their homes.

Polly Neate, chief executive of Shelter, said the cost-of-living crisis had "swept up thousands of renters into the threat of homelessness".

She is worried the situation will get worse this winter "because people won't be able to afford to heat their home".

"If you're choosing between heating and eating, then you definitely can't afford to pay your rent," she said.

"The private rental market is insane at the moment. The sheer cost of renting means that for people on low incomes, they simply cannot afford a decent home."

The number of households threatened with homelessness because of rent arrears is at 3,460, up 36% in the last year.

Across England, the North East had the highest rate of households threatened with homelessness, with two per 1,000 households.

At the 2019 general election, the then Conservative leader Boris Johnson promised to ban no-fault evictions. Earlier, Michael Gove told BBC Radio 4's Today the change would come "in 2023".

A recent survey by the National Residential Landlords Association (NRLA) showed that most of its members could envisage operating without Section 21 provided other proposals are in place.

But Ben Beadle, NRLA chief executive, said: "We mustn't kid ourselves that abolishing Section 21 is going to solve all of the homelessness problems that we see.

"After reforms, we would be in exactly the same position, unless government takes dramatic action."

A government spokesperson said: "We know how difficult this winter will be and no individual or their family should be without a home during it.

"This government is committed to abolishing Section 21 evictions, protecting 1.3m families with children from the risk of losing their homes, and have provided £316m this year to councils to help ensure no family is without a roof over their heads. We've also set aside £37bn in support measures for those struggling with the rising cost of living.

"Our interventions are working - our Homelessness Reduction Act has seen over half a million households prevented from becoming homeless or supported into settled accommodation since 2018 and our £11.5bn Affordable Homes Programme will continue the delivery of affordable homes across the country."

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