Over 200,000 renters served notices in three years

More than 200,000 private renters in England have been served eviction notices without doing anything wrong in the three years since the government first promised to ban the practice according to research by Shelter.

The research found that every seven minutes a private renter in England is handed a Section 21 no-fault eviction notice by their landlord, this gives tenants just two months to leave their home and the landlord does not need to give any reason for evicting them.

Nearly 230,000 private renters have been served with a formal no-fault eviction notice since the government first committed to scrap this unfair form of eviction in April 2019. This is despite an eviction ban being in place for 14 months of this three-year period due to the pandemic.

Shelter is urging the government to deliver on its long overdue promise to scrap no-fault evictions as new figures from the charity’s YouGov poll reveal a quarter of all private renters (2.8 million people) have had three or more private rented homes in the last five years. The figure for renting families with children is one in five (320,000 families). Based on these findings and what it sees in its frontline services, Shelter is concerned about the destabilising impact on children of constantly having to move.

Losing a private tenancy is the second biggest cause of homelessness in England, and the cost-of-living crisis could push even more private renters to the brink. In the coming months, many renters could increasingly struggle to cover the cost of being forced to find a new home, like putting down a deposit or paying rent in advance, following a no-fault eviction.

In the Queen’s Speech next month, Shelter wants the government to honour its pledge to deliver a Renters’ Reform Bill this year to make private renting fairer and safer for all. The bill must include banning Section 21 no-fault evictions to give renters greater security in their homes.

Polly Neate, Chief Executive of Shelter, said “It’s appalling that every seven minutes another private renter is slapped with a no-fault eviction notice despite the government promising to scrap these grossly unfair evictions three years ago. It’s no wonder many renters feel forgotten.”

“Millions of private renters are living in limbo – never truly able to settle – in case their landlord kicks them out on a whim. It’s a well-founded fear as our frontline services support renters all the time who are scrambling to find a home after being told to up sticks with just two months’ notice.”

“With inflation and bills skyrocketing, renters desperately need a secure home as many will struggle to stump up the costs of having to move unexpectedly. To give private renters stability during a time of deep uncertainty, the government must introduce a Renters’ Reform Bill that bans no-fault evictions this year. Anything less would be a kick in the teeth for England’s 11 million private renters.”