172 families per day are served with a no-fault eviction notice
Posted 19 Jul 2023
Shelter says the government is failing renters as progress stalls on Renters (Reform) Bill
Every day 172 private renting families in England are handed a Section 21 no-fault eviction notice by their landlord – that is one every eight minutes - new Shelter research shows. Families who receive Section 21 notices have only two months to move out of their home, and landlords do not have to give a reason for evicting them.
To bring its shocking findings to life, Shelter has partnered with The Co-operative Bank to cover Parliament Square in moving boxes today [Wednesday, 19 July 2023]. Each box represents one of the families faced with losing their home due to a no-fault eviction per day.
The new figures from the charity’s analysis of a YouGov poll, funded by The Co-operative Bank, reveal more than 188,000 private renters with children have received a no-fault eviction notice in the last three years, creating high levels of instability. The polling also shows nearly one in five private renting families (277,000 families) have had to move three or more times in the last five years – laying bare just how insecure private renting currently is.
In May, the government published its Renters (Reform) Bill to ban Section 21 evictions and introduce overdue protections for renters, but since then the Bill has failed to make any progress through Parliament. With losing a private tenancy the second biggest cause of homelessness in England, Shelter is urging the government to stop failing renters and prioritise the Renters (Reform) Bill as soon as it returns from Summer recess.
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.”
Nick Slape, Chief Executive Officer at The Co-operative Bank, said: “Fighting poverty and inequality across the UK is extremely important to our customers, and that’s why we’re campaigning on this issue alongside Shelter.
“We were encouraged to see this bill brought to parliament, but we need to see tangible action from the government now. Families across the country are depending on it.”
Case study: Laura, 48, a single mother from Bournemouth, and her children have been served a Section 21 no-fault eviction notice which is due to expire on August 14. Laura says she received the notice after being branded a ‘difficult tenant’ for complaining about issues of disrepair, including insecure doors, windows and now a faulty boiler. Laura works in the public sector and earns a good salary, but she has now been blocked from private renting due to unachievable referencing thresholds and discriminatory policies.
Laura said: “I am a keen budgeter with no debt, and I have always lived within my income, paying my rent two days before it was due. I’m also earning more than ever before, but none of this has helped me in my search for a new home. Affordability checks 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.
“Emotionally, being served an eviction notice is awful. 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 and I are 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.”
Anyone who is worried about losing their home can contact Shelter for free and expert advice by visiting www.shelter.org.uk/get_help.
ENDS
Notes to editors:
About the research:
All figures are based on a YouGov survey for Shelter of 1,910 Private Renters in England, including 489 private renters with dependent children under 18 in the household. Fieldwork was undertaken between 22nd – 30th June. The survey was carried out online. The figures have been weighted and are representative of all GB adults (aged 18+). Population figures have been calculated using English Housing Survey data.
The number of private renters with children who have been served with a Section 21 notice per day is based on the following question:
When was the last time, if at all, you received a section 21 notice that you would need to leave your home?
Based on the response to this question, 12% of private renters with children were aware that they have received a Section 21 notice within the past 3 years. Shelter calculations using the number of families living in the private rented sector derived from the English Housing Survey demonstrates this is equivalent to 188,000 families. This is equivalent to 172 families served with a Section 21 notice per day, or one every 8 minutes.
The proportion/number of private renters with children who have had 3 or more rented homes in the last 5 years is based on the following question:
Thinking about the last five years (i.e since the start of June 2018)… How many privately rented properties have you lived in?
18% of private renters with children have lived in 3 or more privately rented properties in the last 5 years. Shelter calculations derived from the English Housing Survey demonstrates this is equivalent to 277,000 families.