Crisis responds to reports that the Government commitment to end no-fault evictions will be scrapped

Reports in the Times today suggest that the Government is considering scrapping the proposed ban on s.21 no fault-evictions, which was first pledged under Theresa May’s Government in 2019 and is a manifesto commitment.

Last month, Government statistics showed that 19,790 households in England faced homelessness in the last financial year after receiving a no-fault eviction notice, more than doubling on the previous year.  

With what appears to be an increasingly unpredictable housing market, more landlords may decide to sell or re-let their properties, leaving renters finding themselves suddenly without a home. This is particularly concerning due to 57% of landlords having buy-to-let mortgages, which puts tenants at risk of bearing the brunt of mortgage price rises passed down by their landlord.  

Crisis is warning that failing to ban no-fault evictions will leave renters exposed and vulnerable as the country heads into a very challenging winter. The charity is urging the Government to change course before rising homelessness becomes a legacy of these difficult times.  

Matt Downie, Crisis Chief Executive, said: “We’re within touching distance of a genuinely transformative opportunity to finally shift the power balance and give renters a much-needed layer of protection from losing their home. To scale back on preventing the leading cause of homelessness now would be disastrous.

“The cost of living crisis is already putting people under unprecedented pressure, leaving them struggling to cover the costs of rent and basic essentials. To be suddenly turfed from your home at a moment's notice is only going to create a winter of misery and homelessness for thousands. 

“To pull the plug on what should have already been brought into law years ago is shameful. The Government must realise that this is an epidemic that requires urgent attention. They must end no-fault evictions as soon as possible – or we’ll see thousands more people pushed into homelessness this winter.”  

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