16th
Aug 2023
Shelter demands the government to act quickly upon their promise of abolishing Section 21 ‘no fault evictions’ and introduce it sooner rather than later as government figures show an escalation of landlords selling up and leaving the sector.
Campaigning groups as usual are incensed and once again calling for the ban to be fast tracked after the latest Ministry of Justice figures showed a 41 per cent increase in S21 evictions.
Figures for England reveal court bailiffs evicted 2,238 households under Section 21 between April to June, whereas in the same period in 2022 it was 1,578.
PRS landlords started 7,491 court repossession claims to evict tenants under Section 21 and is 35 per cent higher than last year.
Shelter is once again calling for the government to make the Renters Reform Bill its first priority as soon as Parliament returns in September because as of yet no date for passing the bill has been disclosed.
Polly Neate, CEO at Shelter, says: “With private rents reaching record highs and no-fault evictions continuing to rise, hundreds of families risk being thrown into homelessness every day.
“Landlords can too easily use and abuse the current system. Some will hike up the rent and if their tenants can’t pay, they will slap them with a no-fault eviction notice and find others who can,” she says.
A spokesperson for a trade association, says: “We want to see every tenancy sustained wherever possible. However, growing numbers of landlords seeking to repossess properties comes at a time when increasing numbers are deciding to sell up and leave the market.
“The best way to prevent repossessions is to ensure landlords have confidence to stay in the market. That is why the Government needs to rethink its tax hikes on the sector and ensure that its Renters (Reform) Bill has the confidence of responsible landlords every bit as much as tenants.”
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