Government’s no-fault eviction ban could be severely watered down, Labour says

The government’s Renters Reform Bill has faced various delays leading the Labour party to believe more people will continue to face eviction.

On 17^th May 2023 the Renters Reform Bill was introduced to Parliament with an aim to abolishing no-fault evictions – an act where landlords evict tenants for no reason with only two months notice.  

However, the Bill has faced a vast number of delays, with it only just being confirmed that it is due to appear in the House of Commons today.

In addition, the Labour government have warned the ban on no-fault evictions could be delayed even further as the Conservatives plan to make changes to the court system before the Bill can be fully implemented.

This has become a cause of huge concern as research from Shelter has shown that between April and June 2023, 2,228 households were evicted by bailiffs because of a section 21 no-fault eviction, which is up from 1,578 households since the same quarter last year. 

Against this backdrop, analysis by Labour has found another 30,840 households face being threatened with homelessness through no-fault evictions if the government does not pass the Bill by the last possible date for a general election – 28^th January 2025.

Angela Rayner, Labour’s deputy leader, said: ‘At the height of a cost-of-living crisis, tenants have been left paying a heavy price for the government’s inaction, with tens of thousands threatened with homelessness and receiving visits from bailiffs.’

Despite Labour’s views, housing minister, Rachel Maclean has claimed the Conservatives will deliver on their 2019 manifesto pledge to end no-fault evictions once and for all. She said: ‘Only the Conservatives are taking the long-term decisions needed to deliver a more secure rental market for tenants and landlords.’

Although, the Renters’ Reform Coalition, a campaign group, is warning Tory MPs that polling shows one in four of their 2019 voters live in private rented properties and that support for their party is falling. The campaign group said their research shows that among the one in four 2019 tory voters who are private renters, a mere 47% say they intend to vote for them again in the next election.

Image: PublicDomainPictures

More on this topic:

Older private tenants living in fear of eviction, survey shows

No-fault evictions up by 41% in a year