HOUSING
Private rented evictions were already at the highest level ever before winter kicked in
Record numbers of renters are being evicted from their homes even before the energy bills-driven cost-of-living crisis is set to hit hardest during the winter months.
More than 3,700 households were evicted from private rented homes in England between July and September, Ministry of Justice (MoJ) statistics have revealed.
The number of evicted households rose 10 per cent in just three months while the number of possession claims to courts from landlords has more than doubled from 10,202 to 21,012 in a year.
The number of possession orders issued to county court bailiffs almost tripled over the same period too, up to 15,352.
The MoJ’s statistician said the number of private landlord possession claims has surpassed pre-pandemic levels and is at the “highest level ever”.
Polly Neate, chief executive of Shelter, called on the Westminster government to “throw renters a lifeline” by unfreezing housing benefit, while Generation Rent urged ministers to freeze rents and ban evictions.
“We need Jeremy Hunt to freeze rents, suspend no-fault evictions and re-link Local Housing Allowance rates to market rents,” said Dan Wilson Craw, the deputy director of Generation Rent.
THE TOP 5 STORIES ON BIGISSUE.COM LAST WEEK
Why do people hate Matt Hancock? Oh, let us count
