Today (Thursday 9 February 2023), the Ministry of Justice has
released the latest figures on mortgage and landlord possessions
in England and Wales, for October - December 2022.
The new figures show that there were 5,409 landlord repossessions
in this period, a 98% increase on the same quarter last year and
a similar level to the previous quarter.
The statistics also show that there were:
- 20,460 landlord repossession claims, 42% more than at the
same time last year, and a similar level to the previous
quarter.
- 733 mortgage repossessions, a 134% increase on the same time
last year, and a similar level to the previous quarter.
In December, a Crisis survey found that nearly one million
low-income households across Britain feared eviction in the
coming months. Ahead of the Spring Budget, national homelessness
charity Crisis is urging the Government to invest in housing
benefit so that it covers the true cost of rent.
Matt Downie, Chief Executive of Crisis,
said: “The devastating impact of the cost of living
crisis, rising rents and low wages has once again been laid bare
as thousands more renters are faced with eviction and the very
real threat of being left with nowhere to go.
“With rents rising at their fastest rate in 16 years, the
Government cannot continue to look the other way as more and more
people are forced into homelessness. The upcoming Spring Budget
must include investment in housing benefit – which has been
frozen since April 2020 – so that it adequately reflects today’s
cost pressures. Failure to do so will see thousands of households
facing the uncertainty of eviction and the crushing reality of
homelessness.”
Crisis has today launched a new campaign urging the public to
contact their MP asking them write to the Chancellor to end the
freeze on housing benefit to stop more and more people being
forced into homelessness: https://www.crisis.org.uk/get-involved/campaign/end-the-housing-benefit-freeze/
-Ends-
Notes to Editor
https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/mortgage-and-landlord-possession-statistics-october-to-december-2022/mortgage-and-landlord-possession-statistics-october-to-december-2022
Experiences of homelessness during a cost of living crisis -
https://www.crisis.org.uk/ending-homelessness/homelessness-knowledge-hub/cost-of-homelessness/experiences-of-homelessness-during-a-cost-of-living-crisis/
