No fault evictions handed out once every seven minutes in England

That's despite a Government promise to get rid of them three years ago

Author: Adam GoacherPublished 28th Apr 2022

Every seven minutes a private renter is served a no-fault eviction notice, despite a Government promise to scrap them three years ago.

The notices give private renters just two months to evict the property.

The YouGov survey shows nearly 230,000 private renters have been served with a formal no-fault eviction notice since the government first committed to scrap them in April 2019.

John Holmstrom is CEO of Sussex-based homeless charity Turning Tides.

He said: "They disrupt lives. It can mean upheaval from schools and local services. And finding accommodation is not easy. Private rented accommodation is in incredibly short supply especially in the Sussex area."

While John is against the notices, he understands why landlords need them.

He continued: "If they have issues with anti-social behaviour, court action is very slow. What we don't want to do is undermine landlord confidence and that requires a court process that is much quicker and easier to use."

A government spokesperson said: “Our Private Rented Sector White Paper will set out reforms to make renting fairer for all, including by banning Section 21 ‘no fault’ evictions as soon as possible.

“We are also providing a £22 billion package of support to help households with rising costs. This includes putting an average of £1,000 more per year into the pockets of working families via Universal Credit and direct support for bills.”

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