Izaz Riaz (Student)
In the 2019 general election, part of the conservative party’s manifesto was to abolish Section 21 Eviction notices.
A section 21 eviction notice (or sometimes called notice of possession) is a notice given by a landlord to tenant(s) to leave the property without giving a reason. Section 21 notices are used by landlords as it is a much faster and cheaper process to vacate their properties rather than having to wait until the tenancy ends.If Section 21 notices were to be abolished, landlords would have to use a section 8 notice to evict their tenants and give reasons as to why they are evicting their tenants. This will give greater security to tenants but may make it difficult for landlords to evict problem tenants.
According to the Ministry of Justice, on average it takes around 44 weeks between the initial eviction claim and repossession of the property without a section 21 notice.
There have been 19,790 Section 21 notices given to households in the year 2021/2022 which is a 121% increase from the previous year. There has also been a 53% increase in private renters seeking help with homelessness.
The number of rental properties available have fallen dramatically [HT1] The lack of rental properties available has caused rent prices to increase 12.3% year-on-year, fuelling homelessness.
The Government’s plan back in 2019 to abolish the Section 21 Notice was to “provide greater certainty for tenants,” however, with the current situation of the lack of housing and landlords arguing that keeping Section 21 notices will help promote buy-to-let properties increasing supply, the plans to scrap Section 21 notices have gone into turmoil and it is uncertain if the Government will stick to their promise, particularly in light of recent events.
Matt Downie, Chief Executive of housing charity Crisis, commented abandoning the plan would be “shameful” and that cutting off help in the middle of a cost of living crisis would result in a great number of families into homelessness.
Here at SULAC we can help if you have a housing issue. If you would like an appointment please call 01782 294800 or email SULAC@staffs.ac.u