Shelter attacks large rise in Section 21 evictions

Shelter attacks large rise in Section 21 evictions

11:02 AM, 13th February 2023, About A year ago 31

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Shelter has attacked Section 21 evictions as the leading cause of homelessness. 

Chief Executive, Polly Neate, has highlighted the 143% rise in ‘no fault evictions’ recently revealed by new government figures. Up from 792 households between Oct and Dec 2021 and 1,924 between Oct and Dec 2022.

The figures on repossession and evictions released by the Ministry of Justice show 6,101 landlords in England started Section 21 eviction court proceedings between October and December 2022 – up 69 per cent in a year.

‘No one wants to be forced out of their home’

Polly Neate said: “Every eviction notice that lands on someone’s doormat brings with it fear and uncertainty. No one wants to be forced out of their home, but these court figures show that’s happening to more and more private renters in this country.”

She added: “The chronic lack of social homes means the demand for overpriced and unstable private rentals has ballooned, and more people are being pitted against each other in the hunt for a home.

“Every day we hear from desperate families who’ve been served with no-fault eviction notices for daring to complain about poor conditions, or because their landlord wants to cash in on rising rents.”

Additional taxation rules are going to raise the cost for landlords

Despite the apparent large rise in these figures, other factors are at play.

An eviction ban (due to Covid) which was in place between March 2020 and May 2021, reduced the number of cases being heard by the courts and created a massive backlog.

A large amount of upcoming government legislation including a proposed ban on Section 21 evictions, Energy Performance Certificates (EPC) and additional taxation rules are going to raise the cost for landlords.

A report, carried out by Foundation Home loans, also revealed that landlords were more likely to sell a property rated D-E over the next 12 months.

This will decrease the number of private rented homes available and make the problems of homeless even worse.

 

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Comments

Northen Boy

19:14 PM, 13th February 2023, About A year ago

Reply to the comment left by DSR at 13/02/2023 - 14:05
The Government and council's and groups like shelter are making a housing crisis
LL are selling up in droves they have kicked LL too many times and for far too long and I think we are all saying enough is enough 24 years I've been renting property own several properties and rent other LL properties through my agency and I feel we are being treated like criminal's
I feel in 12 months time the government will be in a serious crisis regarding housing people and some fool like ..GOVE..will be saying I don't know how it's come to this
REALLY

Paul Ellis

21:33 PM, 13th February 2023, About A year ago

The whole debacle lies at the governments greediness. Scrapping tax relief on morgage interest (what other business can't claim this?) Making landlords pay 3% stamp duty on a purchase, it all Makes it unviable to charge cheap rents and not to mention all the other hoops they make landlords jump through. Who in their right mind would want to go into the rental market these days? Combined with higher interest mortgage payments, Its no wonder landlords are desperate to sell up. You only need a bad tenant who won't pay and or wrecks your property and you're basically in a loss situation. If the government reversed the tax situation and scrapped the 3% duty then there would be more rental properties and rents would fall. Its just doesn't add up economically being a landlord these days..

Richie Bates

0:22 AM, 14th February 2023, About A year ago

Hey Polly! News for you. It's not a home, it's a space belonging to someone else that you may rent for a given period of time. Key words: "belongs to someone else" got it now? Happy to help your misunderstanding of the situation. Go put the kettle on.

ellis freeman

20:03 PM, 14th February 2023, About A year ago

Reply to the comment left by Simon Orr at 13/02/2023 - 11:49
Can't we landlords fund a legal action against shelter for spreading misinformation?

CWF

10:25 AM, 17th February 2023, About A year ago

I cannot understand the reasons behind Shelter and others complaining about the PRS all the time. Are they so stupid or perhaps trying to justify gross salaries, paid for by us through taxes, that they cannot see that they are the main driver for many evictions. Increasing regulation, increasing costs and making it really difficult to get rid of bad tenants, landlords are getting hammered from all directions..
Going home with a six figure salary means Neate will be tucked up in a nice warm bed with not a sleepless night worrying how to get rid of a tenant who does not pay or one who cannot be bothered to get out a hoover or duster. Come into the real world, perhaps use some of your grant to house some of the people you think are being badly treated.

Bernard Mealing

12:22 PM, 18th February 2023, About A year ago

I believe the figures are skewered by Landlords serving s21 when often its a s8 ( non payment etc ) being more appropriate. Then let them (Shelter ) square that circle

Luke P

12:56 PM, 18th February 2023, About A year ago

Reply to the comment left by Bernard Mealing at 18/02/2023 - 12:22
Define ‘more appropriate’… LLs don’t (and shouldn’t) care about which legal method the problem tenant is evicted. If the Courts were more efficient and/or less hassle-ridden (with s.8), then there might be more inclination to use that method.

Mick Roberts

15:56 PM, 18th February 2023, About A year ago

My notes on this.
I've just done a Section 21 No fault eviction & not one person from Shelter or the Council asked me I'm evicting.

So a Car hire Rental firm, plant rental, property Landlord can’t have his property back when he wants?
They hire the car out & the person says I'm not giving it u back & the Court says the hire firm can't have it back either, do you really think there will be any more car hire firms left? Or will the hire firm rent it out to anyone that has a License or be really picky who they hire cars out to?

And this is why Shelter & Generation rent, u will be getting many more evictions next few years. As Landlords are panicking, they can’t even have their house back when they want. They din’t sign up to this. They/We housed people, many of them homeless, me/myself am biggest Benefit Landlord in Nottingham & I’ve housed more Benefit homeless in Nottingham over 25 years than anyone. And guess what, I’m not doing it any more cause of your actions. I am refusing to take Benefit tenants any more, please take me to court, let’s get it out in the open.

If u stop someone having their own property back, then the providers of that property will stop providing. I too disagree when it’s someone’s home for 20 years. But let’s not forget, the Landlord is human too. He gets older. When can he retire? If u made things easy, tenant could easily move to an affordable house up the road. But that Landlord is selling too & in’t taking risky tenants any more either.
If u made it easy, I could sell to another Landlord with tenant in. He/She won’t buy either cause of your actions.

Shelter & Generation Rent, u r making it so, that tenants have nowhere to live, having the opposite effect of what u & us Landlords want.

Luke P

11:39 AM, 20th February 2023, About A year ago

Reply to the comment left by Mick Roberts at 18/02/2023 - 15:56
Mick (and everyone else), under no circumstances whatsoever should we ever ever refer to them as 'no fault' evictions/notices. Language is everything and we should have stamped on this when it first came into being. It even appears in the H2R guide (written by Civil Servants), infiltrating our everyday speech.

Yvonne B.

14:01 PM, 20th February 2023, About A year ago

Remember, Shelter only exists because there is homelessness.
If there were plenty of private landlords in a flourishing buy to let market then homelessness would be much reduced.
If the buy to let market was flourishing then developers will build more houses.
This is the real reason we are Shelters enemy - we are a threat to their existence!
Less private landlords = more homeless = more government money to Shelter.
It is just business to them - they care not a jot for the homeless.
Sooner the government realise what Shelter are upto we may get a change in attitude!

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