Reports in the Times today suggest
that the Government is considering scrapping the proposed ban on
s.21 no fault-evictions, which was first pledged under Theresa
May’s Government in 2019 and is a manifesto commitment.
Last month, Government statistics
showed that 19,790 households in England faced homelessness in
the last financial year after receiving a no-fault eviction
notice, more than doubling on the previous year.
With what appears to be an
increasingly unpredictable housing market, more landlords may
decide to sell or re-let their properties, leaving renters
finding themselves suddenly without a home. This is particularly
concerning due to 57% of landlords having buy-to-let
mortgages, which puts tenants at risk of bearing the brunt of
mortgage price rises passed down by their landlord.
Crisis is warning that failing to ban
no-fault evictions will leave renters exposed and vulnerable as
the country heads into a very challenging winter. The charity is
urging the Government to change course before rising homelessness
becomes a legacy of these difficult times.
Matt Downie, Crisis Chief Executive, said:
“We’re within touching distance of a
genuinely transformative opportunity to finally shift the power
balance and give renters a much-needed layer of protection from
losing their home. To scale back on preventing the leading cause
of homelessness now would be disastrous.
“The cost of living crisis is already
putting people under unprecedented pressure, leaving them
struggling to cover the costs of rent and basic essentials. To be
suddenly turfed from your home at a moment's notice is only going
to create a winter of misery and homelessness for
thousands.
“To pull the plug on what should have
already been brought into law years ago is shameful. The
Government must realise that this is an epidemic that requires
urgent attention. They must end no-fault evictions as soon as
possible – or we’ll see thousands more people pushed into
homelessness this winter.”
