Landlords accused of rushing evictions ahead of Renters’ Rights Act

Charities claim an eviction surge is under way as landlords rush to evict tenants before the Renters’ Rights Act takes effect.

Tenant group Acorn told the Guardian that Section 21 evictions accounted for one in five reports from members in October, rising to nearly one in three by January.

The news comes ahead the Renters’ Rights Act coming into force on 1 May 2026.

Landlords exploiting this thin window

A spokesperson from Acorn told the Guardian: “This isn’t a coincidence. Landlords are clearly rushing to force through last-minute evictions before the ban comes into force.”

The housing charity Shelter also accused landlords of exploiting tenants.

A spokesperson told the Guardian: “It’s especially outrageous that some landlords are exploiting this thin window of time to serve no-fault evictions. It just goes to show how vital these new changes are for renters.”

A lawyer also told the paper he was seeing long-term tenants shocked by unexpected Section 21 notices.

Hugh Wilkinson, head of housing at the Central England Law Centre, said: “It can be quite upsetting for people. To think that they’ve been there for a long time and that the length of time doesn’t make any difference. The court won’t take into account the fairness of it.”

Landlords weighing up the risks

The National Residential Landlords Association (NRLA) defended landlords saying many weighing up the risks and benefits of continuing tenancies.

Meera Chindooroy, deputy director for campaigns for the NRLA, told the Guardian: “Landlords will be looking at their current tenants and considering whether these are tenancies that they are happy to continue with after May, or whether they have concerns about any risks, rent arrears, for example, or issues with antisocial behaviour.”

As previously reported on Property118, data analysed by the NRLA shows that Section 21 (‘accelerated’) possession claims in the county courts have dropped to their lowest level in several years.

According to government data, in 2025, 28,112 possession claims were brought to the county courts in England following the issuing of Section 21 notice to a tenant (known as the ‘accelerated’ procedure), the lowest level since 2022.

In the final quarter of 2025 (when the Renters’ Rights Act formally completed its passage through Parliament) 6,367 claims were brought under the Section 21 route. This is the lowest number since the final quarter of 2022.