Number of no-fault evictions rises in Labour’s first year in office: ‘This is unconscionable’
More than 7,000 households were served a no-fault eviction notice between April and June this year as the wait for Labour’s Renters’ Rights Bill continues
by:
14 Aug 2025
The Renters Reform Bill will not continue its passage through parliament until after MPs return from recess and in that time thousands of renters will face a no-fault eviction. Image: Renters’ Reform Coalition
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The number of renters hit with a Section 21 ‘no-fault’ eviction has risen during Labour’s first year in office despite the party’s promises to end the practice – with campaigners saying this represents “too many renters threatened with insecurity and homelessness”.
According to Ministry of Justice (MOJ) figures released today (14 August), a total of 11,402 households were booted from their homes by bailiffs as a result of a no-fault eviction between July 2024 to June 2025, up from 10,576 (7.8%) during the same timeframe from 2023 to 2024.
The MOJ figures found, however, that the number of eviction notices issued had actually fallen from July 2024 to June 2025, with 30,729 households served with a Section 21 eviction notice during this time, down from 32,103 compared to the same timeframe in 2023 to 2024 (4.2%). Serving a Section 21 eviction notice is the first step a landlord takes to evict someone from their home but is not yet counted as an actual eviction.
According to the Renters’ Reform Coalition, a total of 131,158 Section 21 claims have been brought to the courts by landlords since the government pledged to abolish the practice in 2019. The coalition added that the real number is likely to be higher, as many renters move out following the notice, meaning their landlord wouldn’t register it with court.
Homelessness charity Shelter stated that it is “unconscionable” that thousands of renters have been evicted from their homes since the government came to power on 5 July 2024 “because of an unfair policy that the government said would be scrapped immediately”.
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“For far too long, tenants’ lives have been thrown into turmoil by the rank injustice of no-fault evictions,” Mairi MacRae, director of campaigns and policy at Shelter, told the Big Issue.
“At the whim of private landlords, thousands of tenants are being left with just two months to find a new home, plunging them into a ruthless rental market and leaving many exposed to the riptide of homelessness.
“The Renters’ Rights Bill will overhaul a broken system and usher in a long-overdue era of stability and security for tenants. To curb record homelessness and ensure renters can live free from the threat of no-fault eviction, the government must deliver on this commitment, pass the bill, and name an implementation date when Section 21 will finally be scrapped.”
Matt Downie, chief executive at Crisis, explained that despite “good intentions” from the government, “thousands of people are still being unjustly evicted from their homes and threatened with – or even forced into – homelessness”.
“We know the UK government has had a packed agenda, but we now need ministers to rebuff efforts to weaken the Renters’ Rights Bill and get this new legislation onto the statute book as soon as possible when parliament returns,” he continued.
“Unfreezing housing benefit in the autumn would also ensure that more people in England can afford a safe and stable home.”
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When will the Renter’s Rights Bill go into effect?
Labour’s Renters’ Rights Bill had promised to put an end to Section 21 evictions, as well as giving additional rights to renters more widely – including powers to challenge rent increases, the right to keep a pet and ending bidding wars for rental properties. When it was first introduced, it stated it would also make it illegal for landlords to discriminate against tenants on benefits or with children.
The bill has now cleared the House of Lords, and could reportedly go into effect in 2026, however campaigners have criticised a number of amendments to the bill, which include new possession grounds allowing landlords to evict tenants to house carers or agricultural workers, and requiring a very high standard of proof for a landlord to be fined for discrimination or conducting bidding wars.
Tom Darling, director at the Renters’ Reform Coalition, stated that the bill had “taken a beating in the House of Lords, with amendments added that would hugely undermine it”.
He continued: “For the bill to make a real difference for renters, the government must take out those amendments when the bill returns to the House of Commons, then press on and abolish Section 21 immediately once the bill is passed.”
Despite the year-on-year rise in no-fault evictions, MOJ data from this quarter (April to June 2025) found both Section 21 evictions and eviction notices fell compared to the same quarter in the previous year.
Darling explained that the 7,270 eviction notices served from April to June, representing a 12.6% decrease compared to the previous year, “blows apart the myth of a ‘landlord exodus’ and eviction surge caused by the Renters’ Rights Bill,” adding that despite the slight fall, “too many renters are still threatened with insecurity and homelessness.”
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What about homeowners?
The MOJ figures also revealed that there had been an increase in mortgage possession claims in April to June of 2025, up by 22% compared to the same timeframe in 2024, which debt charity StepChange said spoke to the financial “pressure” on homeowners.
For StepChange’s clients in mortgage arrears, the average level of arrears in the year to date now stands at £11,531, and forms one of the largest common arrear types. When compared with 2024, this has increased by 12%, and by 90% compared to 2023.
Adam Butler, public policy manager at StepChange, said: “Whilst interest rates are coming down, along with mortgage arrears, many are still struggling. With possessions rising, we are concerned that those in debt could be pushed further into crisis.”
“If you are worried about managing your mortgage payments, do not hesitate to contact your lender who has a regulatory responsibility to help – which may look like forbearance or wider support. If you are struggling with debts or your finances more generally, a charity like StepChange is on hand to guide you through your journey with free advice,” Butler added.
