Government insists landlords should not evict tenants before Section 21 ban

The government claims “there is no need for landlords to evict tenants” ahead of the Renters’ Rights Act.

In a written question, Baroness Taylor of Stevenage claims landlords “should give tenants the housing security they deserve”.

Despite the government’s claims, tenant groups claim landlords are rushing evictions ahead of the legislation.

Prevent unnecessary evictions

In a written question, Conservative peer Lord Jamieson asked: “What assessment have the government made of the risk of pre-emptive evictions of private rented sector tenants prior to the full commencement of the abolition of no-fault evictions; and what is their policy on ministerial engagement with individuals or companies undertaking such activity.”

In response, Baroness Stevenage claimed landlords should not evict tenants ahead of the legislation coming into force and pointed to a decrease in the number of Section 21 evictions ahead of the ban taking effect on 1 May.

She said: “The government is clear that there is no need for landlords to evict tenants ahead of the ban on no fault evictions on 1 May and landlords should give tenants the housing security they deserve.

“We will continue to engage across the sector ahead of 1 May to prevent unnecessary evictions and ensure smooth implementation of the new tenancy system.

“Landlords will have robust grounds for possession where there is good reason to take their property back. As such, my Department does not expect a spike in section 21 evictions ahead of the implementation 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 in October to December 2025 when compared to the same quarter in the previous year.”

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.