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0:01 AM, 11th August 2023, About 9 months ago 36
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The number of no-fault evictions by bailiffs has risen sharply, according to new government figures.
The latest data from the Ministry of Justice (MOJ) shows the number of households removed from their homes by court bailiffs is up by 41%.
Between April and June this year, more than 2,000 households were evicted by bailiffs using a Section 21 no-fault eviction notice, up from 1,578 households since the same quarter last year.
According to the MOJ, more than 20,000 households have been kicked out of their homes by bailiffs since the government first promised to ban no-fault evictions in 2019.
The latest data reveals 24,060 households were threatened with homelessness as a result of a Section 21 no-fault evictions in the past year – up by 21% compared to the previous 12 months.
The figures also reveal that 7,491 no-fault eviction claims were brought before the courts between April and June. That is the highest recorded number since 2017, up 10% on January to March, and 35% higher than in the same period last year.
Polly Neate, Shelter’s chief executive, said: “With private rents reaching record highs and no-fault evictions continuing to rise, hundreds of families risk being thrown into homelessness every day.
“Landlords can too easily use and abuse the current system. Some will hike up the rent and if their tenants can’t pay, they will slap them with a no-fault eviction notice and find others who can.”
Shelter is now urging the government to prioritise the Renters Reform Bill when MPs return from their summer holiday in September.
Ms Neate said: “The Renters Reform Bill will make renting more secure, and for those who live in fear of the bailiffs knocking at their door, these changes can’t come soon enough.
“The moment Parliament resumes, the government must get rid of no-fault evictions which have made the prospect of a stable home little more than a fantasy for England’s 11 million private renters.”
Dan Wilson Craw, the deputy chief executive of campaign group Generation Rent, told the Guardian: “Renters are bearing the brunt of the cost of living crisis, with record numbers being evicted for rent arrears and increasing numbers being evicted so landlords can sell up or raise the rent.”
However, for the vast majority of landlords serving a Section 21 notice is usually a last resort.
As a recent Property118 investigation reveals when tenants are at risk of homelessness the local authority has a duty to try to prevent homelessness from happening and should be working together with the landlord.
The NRLA said one reason for the rise in tenant evictions was a rise in landlords selling up.
Chris Norris, the NRLA policy director, told the Guardian: “Tax changes designed to dampen the supply of homes to rent, coupled with ever-growing costs and uncertainty over planned reforms is pushing many simply to leave the market. In many instances they are forced to take back possession of their properties.
“The best way to prevent repossessions is to ensure landlords have confidence to stay in the market. That is why the government needs to rethink its tax hikes on the sector and ensure that its renters reform bill has the confidence of responsible landlords every bit as much as tenants.”
Mick Roberts
7:32 AM, 12th August 2023, About 9 months ago
Reply to the comment left by Old Mrs Landlord at 11/08/2023 - 13:56
Yes, I'm always saying every time Polly & Shelter & Generation Rent talk, they make another 100+ homeless.
john thompson
8:20 AM, 12th August 2023, About 9 months ago
Reply to the comment left by Chris @ Possession Friend at 11/08/2023 - 21:06
Totally, Any debate I see never asks WHY we are so chronically short of housing every single year and every year more housing needs building. Does anyone ever bother to ask the fundamental question of why, no! Yet British birth rates continue to fall every year. People and especially politicians are too weak and afraid of the inevitable backlash or too dumb to think about it. Rishis "little" illegal boats land every day but he is also rubber-stamping hundreds of thousands of legal immigrants. Net migration has shot up from an average of around 100,00 in the nineties to now over 600,000 a year. We all see the devastating impact on just about everything...crime, broken communities, the falling NHS and ambulance services, shortage of school places, dentists, doctors, and huge council housing shortages, and other housing with every corner of this overcrowded little country being ripped up for more housing, all basically for cheap labour.
GlanACC
8:27 AM, 12th August 2023, About 9 months ago
I see Paul McNamee of Big Issue was just on the TV spouting about landlords having the whip hand. Perhaps if some of his merry band of followers had a scrub with a bar of soap then landlords would take him more seriously
JamesB
11:06 AM, 13th August 2023, About 9 months ago
Please can we all start referring to s21 as "no fault stated evictions" or "no finger pointed evictions" or "trying to avoid conflict evictions", rather than "no fault" which simply implies poor innocent tenant.
My s21 eviction which resulted in bailiffs earlier this year after 15 months most definitely had HUGE faults on the tenant's part and has cost me tens of thousands of pounds.
GlanACC
15:04 PM, 13th August 2023, About 9 months ago
Reply to the comment left by JamesB at 13/08/2023 - 11:06
I think the removal of S21 will in some ways be a good thing as with the S8 the courts will be able to provide statistics as to the exact reason for eviction, I think it will highlight the rent arrears currently hidden by S21 processes
JamesB
15:07 PM, 13th August 2023, About 9 months ago
Reply to the comment left by GlanACC at 13/08/2023 - 15:04
That is true.
Whenever I have known other landlords give s21s there has always been a fault on the part of the tenant.
I know a few landlords and when tenants have started messing around, not paying ,
causing problems etc the advise has always tended to be "serve a s21"
Stella
16:05 PM, 13th August 2023, About 9 months ago
Reply to the comment left by GlanACC at 13/08/2023 - 15:04
The loss of section 21 means we loose control of our assets and that cannot be right.
No matter what staistics we get from going the s8 route it will cost us more, depend on what the judge says and give a lot more control to the tenants and some of them will play the system.
john thompson
13:19 PM, 14th August 2023, About 9 months ago
Reply to the comment left by Stella at 13/08/2023 - 16:05
The government is making everything as difficult and expesive as possible for small landlords. They are trying and succeeding to get so many proosess pushed though via the court system, costing landlords time money and stress. The bigges nail in the coffin is going to be court costs paid for the tenants via the government. All paid for by ther tax payer of course. All while landlords are losing thousands in income and expenses. Nice little earners for the courts, lawyers, legal system and the government. This is my next single biggest worry. It means basically every bad tennant will take an age to get rid of, it's an absolute nightmare, and it's jusaround the corner. This government is totally moronic. I think we need to discuss this urgently and get some kind of action against it.
GlanACC
13:25 PM, 14th August 2023, About 9 months ago
Reply to the comment left by john thompson at 14/08/2023 - 13:19Agreed, a non paying tenant has nothing to lose by dragging it out. You won't get any money back. Mind you could be worse, you could have a property in Scotland or Wales.
Gromit
18:23 PM, 15th August 2023, About 9 months ago
Reply to the comment left by john thompson at 14/08/2023 - 13:19
"This government is totally moronic."
No, this all intentional. Tenant homelessness is collateral damage (as they typicaly don't vote Tory anyway).