No-fault evictions: family kicked out of rental home every eight minutes in England

A no-fault eviction notice is being handed to a family every eight minutes in England, according to new research from a housing and homelessness charity.

Analysis conducted by Shelter has suggested that, over the past three years, more than 188,000 private renters with children have received a section 21 notice - also known as ‘no-fault evictions’, because the landlord does not need to provide a reason to evict the tenant. Families who are served with a no-fault eviction have two months to find a new home.

The charity said it had calculated, using the number of families in the private rental sector according to the English Housing Survey, that this equates to some 188,000 families - and is equivalent to 172 families served with a section 21 notice per day, or one family every eight minutes.

The research - based on a YouGov poll of 1,910 private renters - also suggested that nearly one in five private renters with children, (around 277,000 families), have had to move three or more times in the last five years alone. This, the charity said, was evidence of how “insecure” private renting currently is.

It has prompted criticism of the government, which has been slow to push ahead with its 2019 Conservative Party manifesto pledge to ban no-fault evictions entirely. In May, a Renters Reform Bill was introduced to Parliament - but it has so far only had its first reading.

Shelter described this as “unacceptable” as it accused ministers of “failing” renters. It then urged the government to prioritise the bill as soon as it returns from summer recess, warning that losing a private tenancy is currently the second biggest cause of homelessness in England.

Polly Neate, chief executive of Shelter, said: “The government is failing renters by stalling on the Renters Reform Bill. For each day that MPs are off on their six-week summer break, another 172 families will be hit with a no-fault eviction notice - giving them just two months to pack up and leave their home.

“With private rents rising rapidly and no genuinely affordable social homes available, those with an eviction pending face an increasingly hostile situation. Far from a relaxing holiday, these families will be desperately scrambling to find somewhere to live. Many parents will be forced to overpay and accept dire conditions, or deal with the prospect of becoming homeless.

“It is unacceptable that the Renters Reform Bill has made no progress in Parliament, when the very eviction notices the government promised to ban years ago are continuing to land on people’s doorsteps in their droves. The government must bring back the bill as soon as Parliament returns. England’s 11 million private renters are depending on it.”

Meanwhile, a spokesperson for the Department for Levelling Up, Housing, and Communities told NationalWorld: "Our landmark Renters (Reform) Bill will deliver a better deal for renters and landlords. We are abolishing section 21 ‘no fault’ evictions, giving tenants greater security in their homes, and making it easier for landlords to get rid of anti-social tenants.

“We are committed to creating a private rented sector that is fit for the twenty first century and works for responsible landlords while strengthening protections for renters. Our priority is ensuring that we get these reforms right."

They added that the date for the second reading of the bill is "subject to parliamentary scheduling" - and will be announced "in due course",

As part of its research, Shelter spoke to single mother Laura, 48, who alongside her children has been served a Section 21 notice and has to move out by 14 August. Laura claimed she had been given the no-fault eviction after being branded a “difficult” tenant for complaining about issues in the home - such as insecure doors and windows, and a faulty boiler.

Despite being a “keen budgeter”, having “no debt”, and always paying her rent “two days before it was due”, the mother has found she is unable to secure a new home due to “affordability checks”. She explained: “They refuse to take my income from child maintenance into account, and say I must earn three times the rental value to be able to afford the property.”

In addition to the practical issues, Laura explained that emotionally, receiving a no-fault eviction notice was “awful”. She told Shelter: “It’s really impacting my work and the kids are totally detached from school as a result and can’t concentrate on it. We’ve moved nine times in the past 15 years and it’s so destabilising.

“My family is now facing homelessness as we are unable to find another home to rent. To qualify for help from the council we have to stay in the house until the bailiffs arrive, which is causing me massive mental health pressure.”

If you need help with homelessness, a no-fault eviction, or any other housing related issue, support is available on Shelter. You can call their helpline here, or find online advice here.