The Renters Rights Bill – which is already progressing rapidly through the House of Lords and should become law in the spring – should be accelerated further, a lawyer claims.
Sarah Taylor, a property dispute resolution partner at Excello Law, says the speed up is essential to help tenants.
She says Section 21 evictions have risen according to the latest data published by the Ministry of Justice.
Landlords can apply for an accelerated possession order if tenants have not left by the date specified in a Section 21 notice.
The latest Ministry of Justice data shows 32,287 claims had been issued to households under the accelerated procedure in 2024. Last year’s figure was up by 7% from 30,230 in 2023.
The figures also showed there were 2,947 evictions by bailiffs following a Section 21 notice between October and December last year. This was an increase of 10% from 2,671 for the same three-month period in 2023.
Taylor says: “There have been reports of the year on year rise in no-fault evictions. We have seen that the uncertainty over the changes to the legislation has led to a number of landlords choosing to either leave the rental market or to obtain vacant possession of their property whilst they wait to see what happens when the new legislation comes into force.
“As the Renter’s Rights Bill makes its way through Parliament, landlords are waiting to see what the consequences will be and whether it will result in additional costs for them. Some are unwilling to wait and instead choosing to leave the market.
“Meanwhile, tenants are on the receiving end of this uncertainty as landlords serve notice on them to recover possession and evict them from their homes. It is important for the housing market that the bill becomes law soon to give certainty to both landlords and tenants.”
This article is taken from Landlord Today