Every seven minutes a private renter in England is given eviction notice even though they have done nothing wrong.

How can no fault evictions be banned? What would the alternative be?

Losing a private tenancy is the second biggest cause of homelessness in England [Source: Sky]

The UK Government, on April 15th 2019, announced they were proposing to change landlord & tenant law to offer open ended tenancies.

I hadn't realised that there have been no less 20 housing ministers since 1997. Stuart Andrew is the latest since 8 Feb 2022. His voting record gives me little faith that this will be the minister to deliver the 2019 promise seeing as he has, in the past:

voted against an amendment to the Housing and Planning Bill that would require private landlords to make their homes “fit for human habitation”.

voted to phase out secure tenancies.

consistently voted against paying higher benefits over longer periods for those unable to work due to illness or disability

voted in support of the bedroom tax, which sees social housing tenants have their housing benefit reduced when found to have excess bedrooms.

He doesn't like tenants, does he?

What about the owner of the property? Don’t they have rights?
There are many reasons why a landlord might want his property back. The tenant not being at fault doesn’t come into it.
A property is let for a certain period, six months, a year, two years or more, and both parties realise this when they sign the tenancy agreement.

If too many restrictions are put on letting property, it’s inevitable that some landlords will decide it’s not worth the hassle and sell up, leaving fewer properties available for tenants to rent.

This change was promised by the Conservatives JenniferEccles. It promised open-ended tenancies as part of the amorphous "Leveling up" policy.

The change would turn landlording back into a long term
investment. Something we are never good at under the Conservatives.

Other areas fought for are a reduced rent for long-term contracts and any rent increase tied only to inflation.

These aren't eviction notices for fixed period tenancies, these are quite often people who think they are renting a secure home for their family but the landlord realises it is possible to raise the rent often by letting to a group of single people rather than a family. The family then become homeless. They often finish up in inadequate accommodation

There were 96,060 households in temporary accommodation at the end of September 2021. This was a 1.5% increase on the number a year previously, and is part of a long-term increase. A total of 121,680 dependent children were housed in temporary accommodation.

commonslibrary.parliament.uk/research-briefings/sn02110/#:~:text=There%20were%2096%2C060%20households%20in,were%20housed%20in%20temporary%20accommodation.

A Section 21 notice can be used to evict tenants either:

after a fixed term tenancy ends if there’s a written contract.

during a tenancy with no fixed end date - known as a ‘periodic’ tenancy the legal name for a rolling tenancy with no fixed end date.

An assured shorthold tenancy becomes periodic when a fixed term ends, unless another fixed term has been agreed.

www.gov.uk/evicting-tenants
england.shelter.org.uk/

Glorianny Tue 26-Apr-22 23:33:00
The family then become homeless.

This has been a creeping problem since Thacher's sell-off. Houses were bought as investments, not homes and social housing was virtually stopped.

People need homes - that's if this government and those voting for it ever consider other people.

JenniferEccles

What about the owner of the property? Don’t they have rights?
There are many reasons why a landlord might want his property back. The tenant not being at fault doesn’t come into it.
A property is let for a certain period, six months, a year, two years or more, and both parties realise this when they sign the tenancy agreement.

If too many restrictions are put on letting property, it’s inevitable that some landlords will decide it’s not worth the hassle and sell up, leaving fewer properties available for tenants to rent.

So who would end up owning these properties?

Market forces might mean that prices fall and more affordable properties become available for people to buy.

Those who can't afford to buy need long term rentals that they can call home. Not having this security impacts on families. Social housing should never have been sold off. And many private landlords are charging far too much and making huge profits.
(and yes there are good landlords)

This government doesn't care.

I agree with you nadateturbe. I live in a rented house and have done for 8 years. My landlord is wonderful - I couldn't wish for better. However, he's not young and the time will come when he wants to sell up or will die and leave the house to his heirs and that's always hanging over me. At current prices, I wouldn't be able to rent anywhere else. Fortunately for me personally, I'm planning to move in with my partner in the next year or so, but if I hadn't met him, I would have been forced to look for social housing.

My landlord's children will inherit my house and would possibly want to sell it. Even if a law prevented them from doing that, they would still be receiving rental income which they personally have never earned. The law should give tenants rights, which they currently don't have.

Owning rental property should be seen as a long term investment. If private landlords don't want to take that view, the government should be stepping in and seeing housing as a national concern.

MissOops is in a rental, it’s a lovely bungalow, just right for her as she can’t manage stairs very easily, the landlord has told her that it’s just for 5 years, then he wants to downsize and live in it himself, let’s hope they can stay there for the 5 years.

But I worry what will happen after the 5 years, they will again be looking for a bungalow at a price they can afford, not easy, but I’m grateful that for 5 years they can enjoy it.

Landlord and Tenant laws have been changed in Scotland.

The most common reason for eviction is non payment of rent. When a landlord has a good tenant who is paying their rent there is no motivation to evict the tenant, quite the opposite.

DaisyAnne, tenancies are, by definition, for a set term, usually renewed yearly.

A relative lets out their property here - but lives abroad. Should he decide to live here again or return long-term (due to work commitments) he'd need to have his house back. If those terms didn't exist - he wouldn't own anything here and that tenancy wouldn't exist.

Blame Thatcher, not private landlords, for the lack of social housing and secure tenancies.

No, tenancies are not by definition for a set term after the initial rental agreement has expired. Mine is open-ended, but the landlord has the right to give me two months' notice to move out at any time and for any reason.

Hetty58

DaisyAnne, tenancies are, by definition, for a set term, usually renewed yearly.

A relative lets out their property here - but lives abroad. Should he decide to live here again or return long-term (due to work commitments) he'd need to have his house back. If those terms didn't exist - he wouldn't own anything here and that tenancy wouldn't exist.

Blame Thatcher, not private landlords, for the lack of social housing and secure tenancies.

I'm not that bothered who's to blame. I'm more bothered by the situation people are in now and finding solutions which would ensure tenants have more security.

Esspee

Landlord and Tenant laws have been changed in Scotland.

The most common reason for eviction is non payment of rent. When a landlord has a good tenant who is paying their rent there is no motivation to evict the tenant, quite the opposite.

There is every motivation to evict, if the landlord wants to release capital for another purpose.

Housing should never have been seen as a way of making money in the first place. Somewhere along the line people have forgotten that these magnolia clad soulless buy to let properties have to be someone's home.

We live in a lovely Victorian tree lined Avenue in a conservation area, it’s a good mix of young families, retired people etc.
We have an HMO a few doors down with a completely nasty tenant, he was drumming full blast all hours of the day and night, eventually I spoke to the landlord who said he would evict him as the Police had been involved and the Environmental Health.
9 months on he is still there, the landlord gave him a second chance.
A few weeks ago my husband met a neighbour and his 9 year old son in front of the HMO and started a conversation.
The tenant banged on the windows, flew into a rage and screamed that my husband was a nonce and a paedophile, this was at 3.30 with an Avenue full of children and their parents.
He then said that if they didn’t move he would stand and masturbate in the window.
The Police were called it took a month for statements to be taken, the tenant is still there, other neighbours have had similar incidents.
It seems this man has still not done enough to be evicted.

He sounds mentally unwell

I’d hate to be his landlord. He sounds a nightmare.

It's extremely difficult to evict a tenant, even a bad one. If a section 21 notice is served and the tenant wont leave, it can cost thousands of pounds to get them too.

Thankfully ours did and we are now in the process of refurbishing our flat. It was trashed. New kitchen and bathroom, all new floor coverings are needed, windows had to be repaired and the entire flat re decorated.

It's taken us since the beginning of the year just to get rid of the foul smell that permeated the entire premises. Despite the appalling condition it was left in we are still waiting to see if the bond will be paid to us or returned to the tenant.

We've yet to decide when the work's completed, whether to risk another tenant or put the flat up for sale.