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‘Unfair evictions’ cost councils more than £161m per year, research finds
Councils spend a collective £161m per year supporting people who have been “unfairly” evicted by their landlord, new research has found.
Today campaigning group Generation Rent is publishing proposals that would see tenants either protected or compensated from certain types of eviction, in a move it said would reduce homelessness and save the public purse millions.
According to government figures, 68,430 householders have faced homelessness after their landlord evicted them either to sell or re-let the property or in retaliation to a complaint.
Generation Rent estimates that these types of evictions cost councils £161m in 2019/20 based on the average cost of homelessness prevention activity per householder and the average amount spent on households in temporary accommodation.
In order to end these evictions, the group has put forward a number of proposals such as requiring landlords who wish to sell to compensate tenants for a “blameless” home move.
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Meanwhile, evictions where landlords are wishing to simply replace the tenant or avoid responding to a disrepair complaint should be banned, the group said.
Generation Rent is also calling on the government to introduce open-ended tenancies, ban excessive rent increases to force eviction and end mandatory evictions for people in rent debt.
The proposals come shortly after the Queen’s Speech, during which the government committed to publishing a white paper in the autumn that will set out legislative changes to protect renters.
It is expected to include proposals around the abolition of Section 21 ‘no-fault’ evictions, a lifetime deposit that transfers between tenancies, and the regulation of landlords.
Alicia Kennedy, director of Generation Rent, said: “The government’s commitment to abolishing Section 21 means that landlords will no longer be able to evict tenants just for requesting repairs or on other spurious grounds.
“But without further protections, tenants could still face hardship and homelessness if their landlord decides to sell up. It cannot be right for a housing provider to leave their customer in the lurch and expect tenants and taxpayers to pick up the bill.
“Renters can never enjoy a stable life if they can have the rug pulled from under them, so the government’s reforms must make sure renters get proper support during unwanted moves.”
A Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government spokesperson said: “We have committed to bringing in a better deal for renters to deliver a fairer and more effective rental market that works for both tenants and landlords.
“A White Paper detailing this reform package will be brought forward in the Autumn.”
