No-fault evictions surge under Labour
So-called Section 21 evictions enforced by bailiffs rose by 8pc in the 12 months since Sir Keir Starmer was handed the keys to Downing Street, new figures show.
Section 21 notices allow landlords to force renters out during their tenancy without needing a specified reason.
It comes after Rushanara Ali, the Government's homelessness minister, was forced to resign after it was revealed she evicted tenants at her London property before increasing the rent.
There were 11,402 repossessions by county court bailiffs following a Section 21 notice in the year to June, up from 10,576 from the previous 12 months, according to Ministry of Justice figures.
The notices are served on tenants by landlords to begin the process of regaining possession of a property despite their shorthold tenancy not having expired.
Under Labour's Renters' Rights Bill, landlords will need to apply for a hearing before they can evict a tenant.
During the same period, there were 30,729 uses of fast-track evictions. These are available to landlords when a tenant has not left the property by a specified date. This was a slight drop from 32,103 in the preceding 12 months.
A spokesman for the National Residential Landlord Association said: 'It is concerning that the number of bailiff repossessions relating to no-fault proceedings is increasing at a time when claims, orders warrants, and overall repossessions are decreasing year on year according to the Ministry of Justice's latest statistics.
'This illustrates that, even after receiving a court order to leave a property, tenants are opting to wait until they are removed by a bailiff. This is not in the interest of households or landlords, all of whom will have to endure additional stress and costs associated with evictions.'
Last week Ms Ali quit her role as homelessness minister amid claims she gave tenants at a property she owned in east London four months' notice to leave before relisting the property with a £700 rent increase within weeks.
Ms Ali's house was put up for sale while the tenants were living there, and it was only relisted as a rental because it had not sold, according to the i newspaper.
Her actions went against Labour's flagship Renters' Rights Bill, which is in the final stages of becoming law, and introduces stronger protections for tenants.
Once the law comes in, landlords who evict their tenants in order to sell their property will be banned from relisting it as a rental for six months. Instead, buy-to-let owners will only be able to evict for a very limited number of reasons, using a Section 8 notice, which requires a court hearing.
The bill will also introduce a 12-month protected period from eviction at the start of a tenancy.
Mairi MacRae, from homelessness charity Shelter, said: 'It is unconscionable that more than a year after the Government came to power, thousands of renters continue to be marched out of their homes by bailiffs because of an unfair policy that the Government said would be scrapped immediately.'
A government spokesman said: 'No one should live in fear of a Section 21 eviction and these new figures show exactly why we will abolish them through our Renters' Rights Bill, which is a manifesto commitment and legislative priority for this Government.
'We're determined to level the playing field by providing tenants with greater security, rights and protections in their homes and our landmark reforms will be implemented swiftly after the Bill becomes law.'
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