Shelter has another ill-informed dig at landlords

Shelter has another ill-informed dig at landlords

0:02 AM, 27th July 2023, About 10 months ago 25

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The housing charity Shelter says a major contributing factor to rising homelessness is the instability of private renting – and the use of section 21 ‘no-fault’ notices.

It says that as homelessness surges, there should be no more delays to the Renters (Reform) Bill.

Pointing to new government figures that show 79,840 households faced homelessness in England between January and March this year, the charity says this is the highest number on record.

And, it adds, the loss of a private tenancy is the leading cause of homelessness and accounts for 29% of households who are either homeless or threatened with homelessness.

Shelter says one of the main reasons for this instability is landlords using section 21 ‘no-fault’ evictions which allow landlords to evict a tenant with two months’ notice, without having to give any reason.

‘Overdue promises on ending no-fault evictions’

Shelter’s chief executive, Polly Neate, said: “With record numbers of people becoming homeless, the time for empty words on building social homes and overdue promises on ending no-fault evictions has long passed.

“No-fault evictions are fuelling homelessness and throwing thousands of families’ lives into turmoil.

“We need decisive action, not lip service, before this crisis gets even worse.”

She added: “When MPs return from their summer break in September, the Renters (Reform) Bill needs to come back with them, and it must be made law at the earliest opportunity.

“But to end homelessness for good, we need genuinely affordable homes.

“The Secretary of State, Michael Gove, agrees social homes are essential to solving the housing emergency, so it’s time for his government to get on and build them.”

Threatened with homelessness because of Section 21

The charity says that 24,060 households were threatened with homelessness because of a Section 21 no-fault eviction in the last year – up by 21% compared to the previous 12 months.

However, since the government published its Renters (Reform) Bill in May to ban Section 21 evictions and introduce protections for renters, the Bill has not made much progress through Parliament.

Now, Shelter is urging the government to prioritise the Bill as soon as it returns from summer recess.

It is also calling on the Secretary of State for Housing, Michael Gove, to make his ambition to build tens of thousands of new homes for social rent a reality, to help ease the pressure on private renting and curb homelessness.


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Comments

Bristol Landlord

15:05 PM, 27th July 2023, About 10 months ago

Polly Neate, chief executive of Shelter, certainly isn’t stupid as she has a Bachelor of Arts in English from Bristol University and a postgraduate diploma in journalism from City University of London.
On dealing with “abuse” from men's rights activists, the Grenfell tragedy and how to solve the housing crisis she is quoted as saying “If people aren't angry with me, I'm not doing my job properly".
So if she’s not stupid then what is she up to when she gives these selective and disingenuous extracts and interpretations from S21 eviction and homelessness statistics?
Clearly she wants to “win” her argument but what exactly is she winning?
What’s with her refusal to publicly recognise the truthful cause and effect between Govt anti landlord policies and increased S21 evictions and hence homelessness?
I can only see that either she is paid off by the Govt or she really really believes in her cause and is like some political or religious extremist (like Queen Mary burning Protestants at the stake) but in her case a social causes extremist (whom I’m sure would love to burn landlords at the stake) blind to the effects of her lunatic extremism and unable to consider that taking a balanced approach and working with both Govt and landlords instead of only against landlords would be much more effective at the bigger picture of helping more tenants stay in their homes.
Perhaps she does secretly see the damage to tenants her extreme position is causing but now as a self defined career social/charity extremist climbing the salary ladder she is unable to admit she has made a mistake and reverse course.
I do believe that in a few years after the damage is done and it is very apparent the PRS is destroyed with tens of thousands more tenants who can’t find a place to rent she will declare victory and move on to the next well paid executive position of some worthy social charity. Perhaps she’s a total fake and it’s really all about herself and her career and her salary? Either way it’s a match made in heaven (or Hell in this case) with a social extremist working hand in hand with an extremely corrupt and incompetent Govt.
I may add that in my opinion Ben Beadle needs to immediately stop playing Mr Nice Guy and the NRLA hire an attack dog and equally extremist pro landlord mouthy git to counter and expose every one of the Polly Nutter Neate’s public lies about everything to do with landlords always being the cause of tenant homelessness.

Anne Nixon

17:56 PM, 27th July 2023, About 10 months ago

Reply to the comment left by Bristol Landlord at 27/07/2023 - 15:05
Spot on! I agree with all of you say.

PH

18:50 PM, 27th July 2023, About 10 months ago

Reply to the comment left by AnthonyG at 27/07/2023 - 11:46
It also could be said that it has the reverse effect of homelessness ie, in my case there is 1 tennant but if she left a family of 4 could move in and I reckon this happens quite a lot.

Reluctant Landlord

18:51 PM, 27th July 2023, About 10 months ago

Reply to the comment left by Darren Peters at 27/07/2023 - 10:51
You wont need to follow through with a CCJ. If you as a LL you get an application from a would be tenant, you can ask directly why they are applying. You can ask if they have had an eviction notice and the reason why. You can even ask to see it. If it is listed right there is it for rent arrears then you wont take them on.

Government effectively holding the gun for the tenants to shoot themselves in the foot.

John Bentley

19:11 PM, 27th July 2023, About 10 months ago

Reply to the comment left by AnthonyG at 27/07/2023 - 11:46
Very true, a bad tennant is replaced by a (hopefully) good tennant, so the numbers don't change but the bad tennant is homeless and a good one is housed. Only shelter could see a fault with that .

Phil T

19:17 PM, 27th July 2023, About 10 months ago

So it landlords fault for selling their house because the government decided to tax them on turnover not profit and make being a private landlord generally impossible

Nicolas O'Clery

1:45 AM, 28th July 2023, About 10 months ago

Reply to the comment left by AnthonyG at 27/07/2023 - 11:46
Most new tenants will not be from the homeless list as landlords are rejecting people that need government assistance for wealthier ones that can provide a guarantor ect.

Nicolas O'Clery

1:49 AM, 28th July 2023, About 10 months ago

Reply to the comment left by Phil T at 27/07/2023 - 19:17
Not sure about your laws, in Scotland an owner with tenants can only sell to what will become for the existing tenants a new landlord. If the new owner wanted to evict and take over the property they'd need to start proceedings and provide proof as to why they need the property vacated.

Reluctant Landlord

13:23 PM, 28th July 2023, About 10 months ago

Reply to the comment left by Nicolas O'Clery at 28/07/2023 - 01:49
hence the reason why no one is buying currently tenanted properties I guess, and why existing LL's cant sell?

S21 still applies to a LL with an existing tenant though if they want it empty to sell?

Nicolas O'Clery

21:12 PM, 28th July 2023, About 10 months ago

Reply to the comment left by DSR at 28/07/2023 - 13:23
I believe the judge would rule in favour of the tenant if they were in good standing as far as paying rent goes. The LL would be forced to sell to a new LL to avoid the strain on the LA trying to rehouse them.

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