Shelter blames delayed Section 21 ban for thousands of evictions

Despite pledging to ban no-fault evictions on day one of a Labour government, new figures reveal 11,400 households were removed by bailiffs due to Section 21.

According to figures from the Ministry of Justice, 30,000 Section 21 no-fault eviction notices were issued by private landlords in England during July 2024 and June 2025, meaning around 38% of notices resulted in actual enforced evictions.

However, the data does not include tenants who moved out voluntarily.

A property lawyer says the figures show landlords in London continue to evict at a higher rate due to exiting the market.

Tenants’ lives have been thrown into turmoil by rank injustice

According to the Ministry of Justice, the 12 months since Labour came into government, no-fault evictions by bailiffs in England have risen by 8%.

Housing charity Shelter, claims through their analysis of the figures for every month the government delays a ban on no-fault evictions, nearly 1,000 (950) households could be removed from their homes by bailiffs.

Mairi MacRae, director of campaigns and policy at Shelter, said: “It is unconscionable that more than a year after the government came to power, thousands of renters continue to be marched out of their homes by bailiffs because of an unfair policy that the government said would be scrapped immediately.

“For far too long, tenants’ lives have been thrown into turmoil by the rank injustice of no fault evictions. At the whim of private landlords, thousands of tenants are being left with just two months to find a new home, plunging them into a ruthless rental market and leaving many exposed to the riptide of homelessness.”

Ms MacRae adds: “The Renters’ Rights Bill will overhaul a broken system and usher in a long-overdue era of stability and security for tenants. To curb record homelessness and ensure renters can live free from the threat of no-fault eviction, the government must deliver on this commitment, pass the bill, and name an implementation date when Section 21 will finally be scrapped.”

Despite Shelter’s claim Section 21 evictions are one of the leading causes of homelessness, new government data suggests landlords are not to blame for rising homelessness.

London landlords continue to evict at a high rate presumably to exit the market

However, property litigation lawyer David Smith claims the figures reveal that, despite a fall in overall possession claims, landlords, particularly in London, are continuing to evict at a high rate, often to exit the market.

He said: “While total possession claims have actually fallen for the third consecutive quarter, the median time for landlords to regain possession has risen yet again. It is taking almost three extra weeks in most cases, with no sign of real progress in tackling the court delays that continue to plague the system.

“No-fault evictions (Section 21) remain a flashpoint, with bailiff-led repossessions up 8% in Labour’s first year, despite the Renters’ Rights Bill being in its final stages. This is because although the number of possession claims have fallen, a higher number are leading to possession orders as landlords in London continue to evict at a high rate, presumably to exit the market.”

He adds: “The government’s view is that most accelerated possession claims will disappear once Section 21 goes, but in my view, we will simply see a sharp increase in other types of possession claims, which will in turn lengthen delays further.

“With private rental sector supply flat, there is an urgent need to restore landlord confidence. Court bottlenecks, longer timelines, and an uncertain regulatory horizon will not achieve that. Without that confidence, tenants will ultimately feel the impact through reduced availability and higher rents.”