Tenants hit ahead no-fault evictions ban

MICHAEL GOVE’S crackdown on landlords is backfiring as investors rush to remove tenants ahead of the ban on no-fault evictions.

So-called section 21 notices have shot up to hit a five-year high, with the number of tenants being evicted by bailiffs rising by more than a third since 2022.

Analysis of official figures by this newspaper found that 2,671 tenants were evicted by bailiffs in the three months since December, the highest number since before April 2019, when the Government announced a review into no-fault evictions. The ban is a Tory manifesto pledge and part of the Government’s Renters (Reform) Bill, now at its third stage in Parliament.

The figures follow warnings from landlord MPS attempting to water down the Bill that its measures would trigger an exodus of landlords from the market, resulting in a sharp rise in evictions, a reduction in housing supply and a corresponding increase in rents.

Rents are now rising at a record 9.2per cent, according to data from the Office for National Statistics published this week.

Marco Longhi, Tory MP for Dudley North said the proposed legislation was having “unintended consequences”. “I am a landlord and I have been for two decades. I have consistently said that, whilst well-meaning, the Renters Reform Bill is bad for tenants.

“At a time when there is already insufficient supply to meet demand for rented property, this legislation is reducing the number of properties available for rent because landlords are increasingly finding it not worth their while.

“The consequence of lower supply and higher demand is creating very high rental prices, and rather than supporting really tough market conditions for tenants the bill is actually making it worse for them.

“There are bad landlords about, but they should be specifically targeted and existing legislation should be implemented rather than applying a one size fits all approach.”

Currently, a landlord can evict a tenant for no reason without going through the courts as long as they give two months’ notice.