These are the places you’re most at risk of a no-fault eviction
Renters in south east commuter towns and the edges of Greater London are at the highest risk of a no-fault eviction, our analysis of government data has revealed.
The worst place for evictions is the London Borough of Havering where last year 39 in every 1000 private renters were made homeless by landlords selling up, re-letting or evicting to avoid making repairs. And that’s just people who sought help from their council – many more will have found a new home, but moved at their own expense.
Check out how your local area compares
Queen’s Speech 2017: are you listening Westminster?
Before today’s Queen’s Speech, which set out the government’s parliamentary programme for the next two years, there were two theories about how housing and private renting might feature, and what kind of prominence it would be given.
Evicted for trying to help
Michael James has been living in his flat in Tower Hamlets, East London, for 24 years. The building he lives in is getting on a bit and when he found a loose piece of concrete on the walkway, which could have fallen off and hurt children playing below, he asked his landlord to fix it. When this request fell on deaf ears, he went to the council.
(image from ITV London News)
When the landlord found out, Michael received an eviction notice. Tower Hamlets Renters has been helping Michael to fight the eviction and thankfully he is still there.
Last night, ITV London News reported on Michael’s case and the new Private Member’s Bill in Parliament that could stop these revenge evictions.
Help ban revenge evictions
Have you ever delayed getting a landlord to maintain your home because it’s not worth the bother? Have you ever felt they’ll just string you along or worse, evict you as a trouble maker? Well that could soon be over.
MP Sarah Teather has tabled a Private Member’s Bill in Parliament that will outlaw so-called revenge evictions.
The truth is that only the worst landlords will boot a tenant over a maintenance issue, but you don’t know if you’re one of the unlucky ones until you make that complaint. The behaviour of a small number of dodgy landlords creates a very real fear for millions of tenants.
Write to your MP now to demand they support this Bill
Many thanks,
Alex
A chance to protect tenants
Raising two young sons on her own, Venice Allan did not need extra worries about her housing situation.
“The flat we were in was in the basement and it was damp. After a few months black mould started to appear on the walls. That was bad enough for my sons’ health but then we discovered a live wire that needed fixing.
What is Section 21 and why does it need to be scrapped?
Landlords can remove tenants without giving a reason. That’s unfair and it needs to change.
Most of England’s 11 million renters are on contracts with fixed terms of six months or a year; after this period has ended, landlords can evict their tenants with just two months’ notice – and without even giving them a reason. These ‚Äòno fault evictions’ were introduced under section 21 of the 1988 Housing Act. Before this, private tenants had much greater security and it was much harder for landlords to evict tenants who paid the rent on time and looked after the property. The government has finally decided to consult on ways of improving renter security, but – while there are some promising aspects to their proposals – they suggest that no-fault evictions will remain. Generation Rent, the New Economics Foundation, ACORN and the London Renters Union are launching a campaign to abolish section 21.
MPs debated Section 21 – here’s what they had to say
On Thursday 6th December our campaign to end unfair evictions reached the Houses of Parliament.
Labour MP Karen Buck, in partnership with the End Unfair Evictions campaign, sponsored a Westminster Hall parliamentary debate on the problems pertaining to Section 28 evictions. MPs came together to share horror stories from their constituents of evictions as well as discuss the larger power imbalances born of the constant threat of eviction many tenants live with.
Section 21: Terrible for tenants and lengthy for landlords in court
Our campaign to end unfair evictions has caught the attention of Parliament. On Thursday, MPs are debating “the use of Section 21 evictions in the private rented sector”.
We’re calling for the abolition of Section 21, and the government is considering responses to its proposed three-year tenancies. This is the first opportunity MPs will have to air their views on reform, and quiz the Housing Minister, Heather Wheeler, on her department’s proposals. We’ll get a sense of what there is cross-party support for.
Ahead of the debate, we wanted to take a look at what we know about evictions and their extent. It’s important to note that the problems with Section 21 go far beyond the basic number of evictions. The threat of a no-fault eviction discourages tenants from treating the property as their long term home, and even from complaining about disrepair.
The London estate being torn apart by evictions
If ever there was a case for the reform of private renters’ rights it’s this.
Residents of Dorchester Court in Herne Hill all rent from the same landlord, Manaquel Ltd. In recent years, the company has tried putting up the rent by 30% in many cases – some of the residents managed to negotiate a lower increase, but are still paying much more than before.
This year, instead of having their tenancy renewed, the landlord has been issuing them with section 21 eviction notices – giving the tenant 2 months to leave – without giving them a reason or any option to stay.
[photo: Brixton Buzz]
Four early victories for the End Unfair Evictions campaign
It is less than a month since we launched our joint campaign – with ACORN, the New Economics Foundation and the London Renters Union – to end section 21 no-fault evictions, and we’ve already had some major successes.
Here are four things we can celebrate already.