Minister denies eviction surge ahead of Renters’ Rights Act

The housing minister has claimed the government does not expect a spike in Section 21 notices ahead of the Renters’ Rights Act.

In a written question, housing minister Matthew Pennycook claimed the 1 May 2026 deadline is not expected to have an impact.

This comes despite claims from tenant groups that landlords are rushing evictions ahead of the legislation.

Not a spike in Section 21 notices

In a written question, Liberal Democrat MP Edward Morello asked: “What assessment has the government made of the number of landlords issuing Section 21 eviction notices in advance of the introduction of the Renters’ Rights Act”.

Mr Pennycook said: “My Department does not expect a spike in Section 21 notices ahead of implementation Phase 1 of the Renters’ Rights Act on 1 May 2026.

“The latest Ministry of Justice official possession statistics, show that there was a 17% decrease in Section 21 accelerated possession claims in England between October and December 2025 when compared to the same quarter in the previous year.”

No need to evict tenants ahead of ban

As previously reported by Property118, claims of an eviction spike come from Acorn, which said almost a third of cases reported by members this year involved no-fault notices, up from 21% in the autumn.

The Housing Secretary Steve Reed slammed landlords for evicting tenants before the Renters’ Rights Act takes effect.

He told The Times: “There is no need to evict their tenants ahead of this ban and landlords should give people the housing security they deserve.

“Kicking tenants out before they receive stronger rights is the type of disgraceful behaviour from shameless landlords which our act will stop.

“Banning unfair evictions is the biggest change to renting in a generation and will free families from the misery it has created.”