Increase in no-fault evictions by 41% within a year's span
In May 2023, the UK government published the Renters (Reform) Bill, a significant step towards addressing the housing insecurity faced by private renters in England. The bill, which aims to scrap no-fault evictions, has the potential to significantly improve the living conditions for private renters. However, since its publication, the bill has failed to progress through Parliament.
Section 21 evictions, a major contributing factor to rising homelessness, allow landlords to evict tenants with only two months' notice and without providing a reason. According to recent data, private landlords started 7,491 court claims to evict their tenants under Section 21 this quarter, a 35% increase in a year. Since the government first promised to ban no-fault evictions in 2019, 21,332 households have been evicted by bailiffs due to Section 21 no-fault evictions. In the past year, 24,060 households were threatened with homelessness as a result of Section 21 no-fault evictions, an increase of 21% compared to the previous 12 months.
Campaigners are urging the government to prioritize the progress of the Renters (Reform) Bill when it returns from recess in September. Polly Neate, the chief executive of homelessness charity Shelter, stated that with private rents reaching record highs and no-fault evictions continuing to rise, hundreds of families risk being thrown into homelessness every day.
The Renters Reform Bill, if passed, could potentially reduce the number of households threatened with homelessness due to no-fault evictions. It could make renting more secure for private renters in England and help alleviate the fear and insecurity caused by no-fault evictions. The bill could also make a stable home a reality for England’s 11 million private renters.
Many private renters feel they have no control over their lives due to the constant threat of no-fault evictions. The threat of bailiffs knocking at their door is a daily fear for many. The Renters Reform Bill, if passed, could help eliminate this fear and provide a more stable living environment for private renters.
The responsibility for overseeing the progress of the Renters' Rights Bill, which abolishes no-fault evictions, lies primarily with the UK Government and Housing Minister Matthew Pennycook, who has actively pushed the bill through its final stages in the British Parliament as of September 2025. The success of the Renters (Reform) Bill is crucial in ensuring a more secure future for private renters in England.
