Eviction by landlords falls across borough
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THE number of repossessions by landlords in Halton fell according to the latest statistics. Figures from the Ministry Of Justice reveal that 115 homes were repossessed across Runcorn and Widnes in 2016-17, down from 137 in the previous year.
A total of 96 evictions last year were undertaken by social landlords, seven by private ones, while 12 were accelerated repossessions.
Elsewhere in the Liverpool City Region, there were 404 homes repossessed by landlords in Liverpool itself between April 2016 and March 2017.
A total of 958 homes were repossessed by landlords in the Liverpool City Region excluding Halton last year – compared to 1,032 in 2015-16.
Only Wirral saw the number of evictions actually rise, with 215 households kicked out by landlords last year, the most ever seen in the area.
In 104 cases, landlords in Merseyside evicted their tenants using ‘accelerated possession’, which is quicker than a normal eviction and does not usually need a court hearing.
Of the remaining repossessions that occurred in the region, the vast majority – five in every six – involved people being turfed out of social housing.
Social landlords evicted people from their homes in Merseyside on 736 occasions, compared to the 118 times private landlords repossessed their properties.
There are many reasons why a court might order an eviction, the most common of which is that the tenant is in serious rent arrears.
Anti-social behaviour can also be an issue, as can breaking a tenancy agreement – but residents could also be evicted if they lied in order to get the tenancy in the first place.