A warning suggests over 15,000 renters may lose their homes before new eviction laws are enacted
London: Thousands of renters might find themselves without a home soon. A campaign group is sounding the alarm about potential evictions before new laws kick in to ban no-fault evictions.
The upcoming legislation aims to give tenants more power to challenge unfair rent hikes and hold landlords accountable for issues like mold. It also seeks to eliminate section 21 orders, which let landlords evict tenants without a reason.
However, the Renters Reform Coalition warns that these orders could still be used extensively while we wait for the bill to pass. They estimate that over 15,600 households could face eviction by bailiffs in just the first half of 2025, which is a significant jump from last year.
Once the bill becomes law, the no-fault eviction ban will take effect immediately. The legislation is set to return to the House of Commons soon for further discussion, having already passed initial readings and committee scrutiny.
Lucy Tiller, a policy manager for the coalition, mentioned that the law might not be in place until summer. She pointed out that no-fault evictions are currently at an eight-year high.
She explained that while some of this increase is due to a pandemic-related downturn, there are still many section 21 evictions happening right now. Since the government promised to ban these evictions in 2019, over 100,000 households have faced homelessness threats, and a million have received section 21 notices.
The coalition used Ministry of Justice data to predict that there will be 15,637 landlord repossession actions in the first half of this year, covering various rental types.
In October 2024, RRC director Tom Darling warned of a potential “wave of evictions” before the ban takes effect. But there’s some good news too. Campaigners are excited about reforms that could ease the financial burden on new tenants.
One proposed change would prevent landlords from asking for more than a month’s rent upfront, which housing charity Shelter has called a discriminatory practice. Polly Neate, the charity’s chief executive, urged the government to go even further.
She highlighted that benefit recipients often face extra hurdles when trying to rent, and the government should use this bill to address those issues. Neate also mentioned that many renters are forced to move due to sudden rent increases, with 900 renters a day relocating last year because they couldn’t keep up with rising costs.
To truly make renting more secure, she believes the bill should limit rent increases to align with inflation or wage growth and eliminate other unfair practices that lead to homelessness.
A spokesperson from the Ministry for Housing, Communities and Local Government stated that the Renters’ Rights Bill aims to transform the private rental sector, allowing people to settle down without the fear of sudden evictions. They also emphasized their commitment to tackling the broader housing crisis by building more homes and increasing social and affordable housing.
