Why Government must act now to outlaw 'no-fault' evictions - Greg Wright

Nobody should be too scared to demand that their accommodation is safe and warm, because they fear retaliation from a landlord who might turf them out on to the streets.

That’s why the Government should honour its manifesto pledge to abolish Section 21 “no fault evictions” as a matter of urgency after evidence quoted in a Parliamentary briefing note concluded that some tenants had expressed reservations about upholding their rights. Section 21 enables private landlords to repossess their properties from assured shorthold tenants without having to establish fault on the part of the tenant.

Private tenants, their representative bodies, and others working in the sector have long argued that the ability of landlords to terminate an assured shorthold tenancy at short notice has a harmful impact on tenants’ wellbeing. Research – quoted in the House of Commons library – has found that some tenants were reluctant to exercise their rights to secure repairs and challenge rent increases due to the ease with which landlords can evict them.

Respondents to a 2018 consultation said they felt unable to plan due to housing insecurity, which had a damaging impact on children’s education and residents’ mental health.

A survey by the charity Shelter found that, on average, a private renter in England is handed a Section 21 “no-fault” eviction notice by their landlord every seven minutes. This gives tenants just two months to leave their home and the landlord does not need to give any reason for evicting them.

Polly Neate, chief executive of Shelter, said: “This winter is going to be brutal for thousands of people as the threat of rising rents and no-fault evictions loom large. The latest government figures show almost 6,000 households in England were threatened with homelessness as a result of a no-fault eviction between April and June 2022, a rise of 76 per cent in a year.”

“Before things get even worse, the Government must get on with the job of banning Section 21 no-fault evictions and make its Renters’ Reform Bill law."

Nearly 230,000 private renters have been served with a formal no-fault eviction notice since the Government first committed to scrap this terrible form of eviction in April 2019, according to Shelter.

The Conservative Manifesto 2019 promised “a better deal for renters” which included abolishing ‘no-fault’ evictions. The Government announced a Renters Reform Bill in the Queen’s Speech in December 2019 but the Bill was not introduced in the 2019-21 parliamentary session. A white paper published in June set out a 12-point action plan to deliver what it described as “a fairer, more secure, higher quality private rented sector.”

The Queens Speech 2022 confirmed a Renters Reform Bill will be introduced in the 2022-23 parliamentary session. The white paper outlines proposals to abolish section 21 evictions and introduce a simpler, more secure tenancy structure. By honouring the Government’s pledge to scrap Section 21 evictions, Rishi Sunak can provide reassurance to renters who fear the arrival of an unwarranted eviction notice which could tear their family apart.

Greg Wright is deputy business editor of The Yorkshire Post