9:24 AM, 17th May 2024, About 2 months ago 7
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The Section 21 ‘no-fault’ eviction rates for bailiff repossessions in England have reached a six-year high – leading Shelter to question the effectiveness of the Renters (Reform) Bill.
Ministry of Justice figures show a 19% year-on-year rise in evictions due to Section 21 notices, with 2,682 possessions taking place between January and March 2024.
This follows a 15% increase in landlords initiating Section 21 proceedings during the same period. That’s 7,863 landlords handing out Section 21 notices.
The homelessness charity Shelter says that tenants ‘were marched out of their homes’ by bailiffs because of no-fault evictions.
The Bill is now at the committee stage in the House of Lords, and Shelter is urging peers from all political parties to strengthen the Bill as a ‘last meaningful opportunity’.
Its chief executive, Polly Neate, said: “Evictions are rocketing to new heights whilst this government has put the threats of a small group of self-interested landlord backbenchers over the safety and security of 11 million private renters.
“It’s been five years since the government pledged to rebalance the scales in private renting, and what do we have to show for it? A Renters (Reform) Bill left in tatters, which will keep renters trapped in the same hellish conditions they’ve endured for decades or abandon them to the whims of their landlords and the terrifying spectre of homelessness.”
She added: “With the Bill now in the hands of the Lords, peers of all stripes must overhaul this threadbare legislation and deliver the change that renters desperately need.
“Without serious amends to give tenants greater protection from eviction after moving in and longer notice periods, renters’ best hope of a stable home will be lost.”
The executive director of policy at Crisis, Francesca Albanese, said: “Once again, tenants are facing unimaginable stress and uncertainty.
“More than 90,000 people in England have been threatened with eviction since the UK government first promised to end no-fault evictions back in 2019 and yet nearly five years on the situation for renters is no better.
“Although we welcome the UK Government’s efforts via the Renters (Reform) Bill to support households after eviction, Section 21 notices still remain the leading cause of homelessness in England.”
She adds: “The Government must give renters the protections they need to ensure that more and more people aren’t faced with the uncertainty of eviction and pushed into homelessness.”
Section 21 ‘no-fault- evictions will be banned under the Renters (Reform) Bill which could reach the statute books later this year.
The government says that until the court backlog and process is dealt with, the ban won’t be enacted.
Shelter says one of the big issues is that landlords can evict without giving a reason with two months’ notice.
The charity also points to recent government data showing that Section 21 evictions led to a record 25,910 households ‘being threatened with homelessness’ last year.
A spokesperson for the MoJ said: “Landlord claims have continued to increase this quarter and are now almost at their pre-covid 2019 baseline.
“All landlord possession actions have increased compared to the same period in 2023 but at a lesser rate than mortgage possession actions.
“Landlord claims, orders, warrants and repossessions are 6%, 3%, 9% and 6% above the levels recorded in the same period in 2023.”
They add: “Accelerated procedures have continued to rise across all action types of claims (7%), orders (5%), warrants (15%) and repossessions (13%) when compared to the same quarter last year.”
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Cider Drinker
9:31 AM, 17th May 2024, About 2 months ago
Shelter (who don’t provide shelter to anyone) should realise that the Renters (Reform) Bill IS being effective.
The mere threat of the Bill is one of the reasons that Section 21 evictions are rising. Tenants are losing their homes because of the Bill. When the Bill is enacted, the number of evictions will really soar.
It’s not the only reason of course.
Rising interest rates are causing some landlords to lose money.
Rents don’t necessarily cover the mortgage interest payments. For those rents that do pay sufficient rent to cover the interest payments, there’s always Section 24 to make sure the landlord loses money every month. If that isn’t suffice, add in expensive (yet worthless) Selective Licensing or some other hare-brained scam that the likes of Shelter have promoted over the years.
So, well done Shelter. You have helped to make more families homeless. This should ensure you receive £millions in new donations so that you can continue paying pop star wages to your CEO (whilst continuing to never provide shelter to a single family).
Paul
11:18 AM, 17th May 2024, About 2 months ago
Is it my maths or is 90,000 over 5 years less than 1% of 11 million split over 5 years? making it a tiny fraction of the market?
I get that the huge increases over previous years sounds bad. But that means that 90,000 short of 11 million renters have NOT had a section 21.
Or have I totally misunderstood these figures?
Northern Observer
11:26 AM, 17th May 2024, About 2 months ago
“Ministry of Justice figures show a 19% year-on-year rise in evictions due to Section 21 notices”. Section 21’s haven’t increased DUE to Section 21, maybe via Section 21. They have increased DUE to a variety of reasons, increased interest rates combined with the inevitable effects of Section 24, a rise in house prices, worry over the RRB and what may end up in there, the prospect of a Landlord hating Labour Government, bad tenants, non paying tenants, Landlords approaching retirement and not wanting the hassle anymore etc etc. Shelter et al, don’t seem to realise or care that there will still be evictions post RRB / sales at the end of tenancies, leading to less properties, less choice and increased competition for tenants as existing landlords continue to leave the sector (most sales then go to FTB’s) and new landlords are put off from entering the sector. We need a balanced approach to the PRS with incentives for landlords to enter and remain whilst providing good quality accommodation, unfortunately the current crop of politicians are only chasing votes / headlines and will only end up harming those whom they purport to be helping.
TheBiggerPicture
12:41 PM, 17th May 2024, About 2 months ago
‘Tenants are facing unimaginable stress’
Because ‘Landlords are facing unimaginable stress’ and exiting the market.
Michael Booth
15:31 PM, 17th May 2024, About 2 months ago
Pretty polly at it again what doesn't she understand, section 8 eviction means homeless has councils have no statutory duty to house people who are deemed to have made them selves homeless ie through rent arrears, polly do you get this it ain't rocket science.
philip allen
16:02 PM, 18th May 2024, About 2 months ago
Reply to the comment left by Michael Booth at 17/05/2024 - 15:31
Less of the 'pretty' please. Unless you are completely blind!
Anthony Endsor
11:18 AM, 22nd May 2024, About a month ago
Do they REALLY not get it? Are they TOTALLY stupid and thick to the core? Or perhaps they do get it and want to take this opportunity to throw more sh*t at landlords while they still can.
The reason no fault evictions are rising is BECAUSE of the renters reform bill and the threat it poses to landlords.
Surely they must realise the most sensible thing to do would be to think about this and the ultimate effect it will have on tenants. I really do wonder what on earth they are trying to achieve by this latest nonsensical publicity stunt.