Housing secretary slams so called ‘shameless’ landlords for evicting tenants

Landlords have been slammed by the Housing Secretary Steve Reed for evicting tenants before the Renters’ Rights Act takes effect.

From 1 May, the Act will mean Section 21 ‘no-fault’ evictions will be banned.

But that hasn’t stopped Mr Reed from hitting out at landlords after tenant campaign group Acorn claimed last week that landlords are ‘rushing’ to evict renters.

He said issuing no-fault notices now amounts to ‘disgraceful behaviour’, The Times reports.

Shameless landlords

The newspaper quotes Mr Reed as calling landlords ‘shameless’ and adding: “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.”

Section 21 notices up

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.

Its chair, Chelsea Phillips, said landlords were ‘racing to evict tenants before the ban comes into force on May 1, exploiting the final window to force people out with no reason’.

She added: “People who should be weeks away from stronger protections are instead being uprooted and forced to scramble for somewhere new.

“This is a last-minute eviction rush, plain and simple, and it shows exactly why section 21 needed to go in the first place.”

Landlords avoid risk

The National Residential Landlords Association said most landlords will continue with tenancies, but others would not be changing course.

Its deputy director of campaigns, Meera Chindooroy, told The Times that landlords are reviewing risk exposure ahead of the change.

That includes those tenants in rent arrears or in cases of antisocial behaviour.

Government figures show households threatened with homelessness due to section 21 fell by almost a fifth year on year in the three months to September.

Also, the charity Crisis said it has not recorded a rise in claimants linked to no-fault eviction at its centres.

The NRLA also points to Wales, where a similar eviction ban saw a 140% increase in accelerated possession claims before the implementation of new legislation.