Angela Rayner slams Section 21 evictions as cause of homelessness

Angela Rayner claims the Labour government want to work with landlords, but blames Section 21 evictions for having a significant impact on homelessness.

In a meeting with the Housing, Communities and Local Government Committee, Ms Rayner claims the government wants to support landlords in providing “safe and secure homes”.

The Housing Secretary repeated Labour’s government ambition to ban Section 21 evictions and introduce Awaab’s Law to the private rented sector.

Section 21 no-fault evictions have a significant impact on homelessness

In the Select Committee meeting, Ms Rayner says she was ‘hesitant’ to put a timeline on when the government wants to end homelessness but claims Section 21 evictions are a contributing factor.

Ms Rayner said: “I think it’s really challenging to set out a timeline to end homelessness, given the challenges we face with the inheritance from the Conservatives and the current projections for homelessness.

“One of the biggest issues we have to address is Section 21 no-fault evictions, which are having a significant impact on homelessness.”

However, Ms Rayner did not provide evidence to support this claim.

The English Housing Survey Private Rented Sector report for 2021-2022 reveals the majority of renters (77%) ended their last tenancy because they wanted to move NOT because of eviction.

Incredibly decent landlords out there

Ms Rayner also told the Select Committee meeting that the government wants to work with landlords to improve housing standards.

The Housing Secretary criticised a small minority of landlords, blaming them for providing homes that were unsuitable for tenants. She said:

She said: “People are living in housing that is not good for their health, but they are too frightened to raise the alarm. This is not adequate.

“As soon as they raise concerns, they are served a Section 21 notice by the landlord, who then finds someone else willing to move in and accept the squalor they’re being put in.

“I must say, though, that not all landlords are like that. There are some incredibly decent landlords out there.

“The Decent Homes Standard and Awaab’s Law that we are introducing are about making sure we can support people living in safe and secure housing, while acknowledging that there are significant numbers of people who are not just in temporary accommodation, but in housing that is not safe for them at the moment.

“We want to work with landlords to make sure they can bring their homes up to standards.

“This isn’t about landlords being bad; this is about acknowledging that we have a housing crisis, and it’s not just about building homes, but making sure the homes we have currently are fit for human habitation.”

Leasehold reform this year

Elsewhere during the meeting, Ms Rayner said the government is determined to meet the 1.5 million homes target set by the government for this Parliament.

The Housing Secretary also committed to leasehold reform this year.

She said: “We want to make sure we are moving at pace, but we also want to ensure there aren’t unintended consequences. There are gaps in the current legislation that could cause problems, such as the inclusion of flats.

“We want to bring forward legislation within this year.”

Reaction to committee meeting

Timothy Douglas, head of policy and campaigns at Propertymark, said: “It is encouraging to hear that the UK Government intends to progress with leasehold reform and that they are committed to making common holding a default position for many.

“Propertymark welcomes Ms Rayner’s pledge to introduce the Planning and Infrastructure Bill in March and we look forward to working with them on meeting their ambitious target of constructing 1.5 million new homes.

“However, while the Housing Secretary is intent on scrapping Section 21, which she believes is the answer to ending homelessness, it is essential there is full clarity from the UK Government on how it intends to address issues which Propertymark has highlighted, such as the anticipated backlog it will cause within the courts system.”

You can watch a clip of Angela Rayner at the committee meeting here