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Landlords are rushing to force out tenants as Labour’s ban on no-fault evictions looms, campaigners have warned, with government figures showing a spike in evictions by bailiffs.
Angela Rayner and Sir Keir Starmer have promised to outlaw Section 21 so-called no-fault evictions, with the ban expected to be implemented by next summer.
And Ministry of Justice figures showed that, between July and September, 8,425 households in England were served with Section 21 notices – an eight year high.
The figure marked an increase on the same period a year earlier and came as 2,830 households were evicted by bailiffs, a 23 per cent increase on last year.
Housing charities called for the passage of the Renters’ Rights Bill to be sped up, with almost 110,000 households now having been evicted under Section 21 since Theresa May promised to ban it in April 2019.
Crisis said the latest figures “show the horrifying truth that tenants are still being evicted from their homes and left to face the nightmare of housing insecurity and homelessness”.
Chief executive Matt Downie said it is a relief to see the bill moving through parliament, but said it needs to become law “as quickly as possible”.
“No-fault evictions are one of the leading causes of homelessness. We need urgent action and stricter measures to protect people at risk of homelessness now and in the future,” he added.
Polly Neate, chief executive of Shelter, said: “With renters being marched out of their homes in their thousands, passing the Renters’ Rights Bill and closing the book on the gross injustice of no fault evictions can’t come soon enough.”
The Renters Reform Coalition (RRC) said it is shocking that, with Christmas approaching, thousands of renters are still being forced out of their homes through no fault evictions.
“Being forced to leave your home through no fault of your own is a disruptive and expensive experience that pushes many renters into hardship and even homelessness,” RRC public affairs manager Lucy Tiller added.
The Renters’ Rights Bill passed its second reading in the House of Commons in October, with its third reading expected imminently.
The bill will bring an end to Section 21 evictions, under which tenants can be removed from rented housing when a fixed-term tenancy ends or during a rolling tenancy.
Former PM Ms May promised to end no-fault evictions more than five years ago but plans were delayed and eventually abandoned before Rishi Sunak called a general election this summer.
The Renters’ Rights Bill will put tenants in a stronger position to challenge unreasonable rent increases and outline that landlords will only be allowed to raise the rent once a year at the market rate.
As it stands, the legislation would also give renters a one-year period of protection at the beginning of a tenancy, during which landlords cannot evict to move in or sell the property, and would double notice periods for various grounds for possession from two months to four months.
The government said the bill will also bring disputes to quicker resolution through a new ombudsman service, cutting back on the need to go through the courts.
It is also expected to give local councils stronger powers to crack down on unscrupulous landlords and give tenants the right to request keeping a pet, with landlords unable to unreasonably refuse.
Ben Beadle, chief executive of the National Residential Landlords Association, said: “Over the last year the number of possession claims brought using a Section 21 notice has fallen across England and Wales.
“With data from Rightmove pointing to record numbers of rental properties up for sale, the best way to help tenants is to encourage responsible landlords to stay in the market.”
