THE DISPATCH

HOUSING EVICTIONS

The long stretch of ‘no fault’ evictions keeps rolling on. And on.

It’s been two-and-a-half years since Theresa May’s government promised to scrap ‘no-fault’ evictions, but renters will still be getting kicked out without a reason in 2022.

Since April 2019, more than 25,000 landlord possession claims have been heard in county courts in England and Wales, according to government statistics, with more on the cards in the months ahead.

The Big Issue’s Stop Mass Homelessness campaign has been calling for these no-fault evictions – or section 21 evictions as they are also known – to be suspended to prevent rising homelessness in the next few months following the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic.

But the Westminster government has confirmed that the upcoming private rented sector white paper, which is expected to replace section 21, will be delayed until next year.

Big Issue analysis of the Ministry of Justice possession statistics figures shows courts have dealt with 25,752 accelerated possession claims – another name for section 21 evictions – between April 2019 and June 2021.

The number of claims under the section 21 legislation has fallen from a high point of 5,033 between April and June 2019 down to 883 during the first lockdown in 2020 when an eviction ban was in place. However, that figure had risen to 2,495 possession claims in the last three months of 2020 and, with many of the measures protecting households from the impact of Covid-19 now gone, The Big Issue is among several campaigners who have called