Two years ago today the government announced plans to abolish Section 21 and introduce open-ended tenancies. The Renters Reform Coalition, comprising 20 organisations, including ours, has launched today to campaign for a redesigned system that better serves England’s private renters.
Survation asked its sample of private renters in England if their landlord had asked them to move out since March 2020. 8% of respondents had received a Section 21 notice from their landlord, which would represent 694,000 private renters across England. A further 3% had received a Section 8 notice, which involves the landlord providing a reason, while 7% were asked to move out without formal notice.
While the initial Section 21 notice is only the first stage of the legal eviction process, a valid notice cannot be overturned in court. That means most tenants who receive one have nothing to gain by challenging the notice and move out before the case reaches court.* Invalid notices can be challenged.
Nearly a third of those surveyed (32%) said they were concerned about the possibility of their landlord asking them to move out this year, which would represent 2.78m private renters across England.
A Section 21 notice pulls the rug out from under you. As long as the landlord serves it correctly, you have to move out. That means very few tenants challenge it in court. And because landlords don’t need a reason for eviction, it also means that many tenants live in fear of losing their home and families throughout England have no confidence to put down roots in their local area.
Renters have been waiting two years for the government to make good on its promise to ban these unfair evictions. If it weren’t for Section 21, 700,000 renters would not have faced an unwanted move during a pandemic and millions more would have confidence to plan their lives.
Survation conducted a survey via online panel on 23-25 February. A total of 1008 UK residents aged 18+ who are living in private rented accommodation responded to the survey, including 884 people in England. The questions included the following:
Has your landlord asked you to move out since March 2020?
|
Respondents (England) |
% |
|
|
Unweighted Total |
884 |
|
|
Weighted Total |
871 |
|
|
Yes, they asked me to leave without a formal notice |
62 |
7% |
|
Yes, they served a Section 21 notice |
72 |
8% |
|
Yes, they served a Section 8 notice |
23 |
3% |
|
No |
714 |
82% |
Q20. Were you able to find a new home in the time your landlord gave you?
Base: Respondents whose landlord asked to move out
|
Unweighted Total |
162 |
|
|
Weighted Total |
157 |
|
|
Yes, I was able to find a new home |
68 |
43% |
|
No, the notice has not ended yet |
51 |
33% |
|
No, the landlord has applied for a court order |
33 |
21% |
|
No, the landlord has not taken further action |
5 |
3% |
Right now, how concerned are you about the possibility of your landlord asking you to move out this year?
|
Respondents (England) |
% |
|
|
Unweighted Total |
884 |
|
|
Weighted Total |
871 |
|
|
Concerned (Net) |
280 |
32% |
|
Not concerned (Net) |
527 |
61% |
Q24. Do you think 6 months’ notice to leave a property is …?
|
Respondents (UK) |
% |
|
|
Unweighted Total |
1008 |
|
|
Weighted Total |
1008 |
|
|
Adequate |
647 |
64% |
|
Too short |
171 |
17% |
|
Too long |
141 |
14% |
|
Don’t know |
48 |
5% |
*The only statistics collected by the government about eviction cases are Ministry of Justice Landlord Repossession statistics, published quarterly. They only include cases that reach court through a landlord claim for possession and do not record the number of Section 21 notices issued by landlords to tenants. In answer to a Parliamentary question last autumn, the Housing Minister Chris Pincher said that the government had “no plans to require landlords to record eviction notices at the point of delivery”
