“Section 21s undermine the security of all tenants living in private accommodation – regardless of whether their landlord has any intention of using them. Too many tenants hit by these evictions end up homeless, adding to this country’s spiralling homelessness crisis and increasing the pressure on local councils and public finances.
“Renters have waited too long for Westminster to come good on the promises of successive governments to end no-fault evictions. The Renters Rights’ Bill must be allowed to complete a swift passage through the Lords and pass into law by summer, so this time next year, no renter will live in fear of this sword of Damocles hanging over their heads.”
The government figures showed 24,010 possession claims were submitted to the courts by private landlords in October to December 2024 – up 3% on the same period in 2023. A third of these claims were related to section 21 evictions.
The demand saw the time landlords have to wait between submitting a claim to the court and repossessing their property rise from 23 weeks to 25 weeks.
Boroughs in London, where rents rose by 11.5% in the last year – the highest rate in the UK, accounted for seven out of the 10 local authorities with the highest rate of private landlord claims.
Redbridge saw the highest rate of repossessions across England and Wales with 241 per 100,000 households owned by a private landlord.
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Section 21 evictions hit their highest level last year since 2016, Ben Twomey of Generation Rent, said: “For the thousands of renters facing a Section 21 in 2024, the Renters’ Rights Bill will be too late. They have faced the stress and expense of finding a new place to live, and uprooting their lives on their landlord’s whim.
“The reforms mean landlords will need to demonstrate a valid reason for eviction in future, and give their tenants more time to move when selling or moving back in. But renters will still bear the cost of moving for reasons beyond our control. And we are still vulnerable to unaffordable rent rises.
“The government must take the opportunity to strengthen protections for tenants by requiring landlords who want to move in or sell to cover the cost of their tenant’s relocation, and limiting rent rises to the lower of wage growth or inflation.”
The rise comes as the Renters’ Rights Bill is moving closer to coming into law.
Rent reforms have long-been promised by government and it is almost six years since then-prime minister Theresa May pledged to axe them.
The Renters’ Rights Bill is set to outlaw no-fault evictions and is currently making its way through the House of Lords.
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Peers debated the legislation for the first time last week with the bill’s second reading debate dominated by the threat of an exodus of landlords due to the new regulations.
The bill is aiming to shift the power balance between tenants and landlords, giving tenants greater rights to keep a pet, banning bidding wars and preventing landlords from charging more than one month’s rent in advance.
The legislation also aims to boost standards in the private rented sector by introducing a decent homes standard and extending Awaab’s Law to ensure private landlords fix health hazards to strict timeframes.
Housing secretary Angela Rayner said last month: “We are delivering on our promise to transform the lives of millions of renters so families can put down roots, allow their children to grow up in secure and healthy homes, and make sure our young people can save for their future.”
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