Advertisement
BLACK FRIDAY OFFER: 3 months for just £9.99
SUBSCRIBE
Housing

Number of renters facing eviction at ‘highest level ever’

The government has been urged to "throw renters a lifeline" amid warning thousands of tenants will lose their homes this winter

Landlords are hauling tenants before the courts in droves as renters struggle to cover rents during the cost of living crisis. Image: Informed Images / Flickr

The government has been urged to “throw renters a lifeline” as new government statistics showed the number of tenants facing eviction is surging during the cost of living crisis.

More than 3,700 households were evicted from private rented homes in England between July and September, the Ministry of Justice (MoJ) statistics have revealed.

The number of evicted households rose 10 per cent in just three months while the number of possession claims to courts from landlords has more than doubled from 10,202 to 21,012 in a year. The number of possession orders issued to county court bailiffs almost tripled over the same period to 15,352.

Get the latest news and insight into how the Big Issue magazine is made by signing up for the Inside Big Issue newsletter

Thousands of private renters have experienced the trauma of the bailiffs removing them from their home, and thousands more will face the same fate as the cost of living crisis escalates,” said Polly Neate, chief executive of Shelter. The charity said on Thursday seven out of 10 calls to its emergency helpline are reporting the cost of living crisis making housing situations worse.

Neate added: “Shelter is working seven days a week to help people fight for their home, but the government has to throw renters a lifeline or homelessness will spiral. With the budget just around the corner, the government must use this opportunity to unfreeze housing benefit before it’s too late.”

Advertisement
Advertisement

The MoJ’s statistician said the number of private landlord possession claims has now surpassed pre-pandemic levels and is at the “highest level ever”.

The figures are likely to strengthen calls for an eviction ban over the winter period – as the Westminster government introduced during the pandemic in 2020 and the Scottish government has already introduced this year.

There have also been calls for a rent freeze from rent campaign groups in England and Wales after Scottish leaders blocked rent rises until March next year.

Rents have risen to record levels over the last year with a shortage of rental homes in the face of huge demand. Generation Rent has called for rents to be frozen and warned in August that 45 per cent of its members were facing a hike to their monthly payments.

“Private renters are under stress like never before. The rising cost of living has pushed thousands into rent arrears, who now face homelessness as their landlords seek eviction,” said Dan Wilson Craw, deputy director, Generation Rent.

“Even staying on top of rent is not enough for other renters, whose landlords are using section 21 eviction notices to force them out without needing a reason. These properties will often end up back on the market at a much higher rent.

“Renters are relying on the chancellor to take emergency steps next week to keep them in their homes and stop rents from worsening the cost of living crisis. We need Jeremy Hunt to freeze rents, suspend no-fault evictions, and re-link Local Housing Allowance rates to market rents.”

The MOJ figures also showed the number of households with mortgages facing eviction has increased significantly in the last year. 

Article continues below

Current vacancies...

Search jobs

Your support changes lives. Find out how you can help us help more people by signing up for a subscription

The number of homes repossessed by county court bailiffs increased by 91 per cent compared to September 2021, rising from 390 possessions to 744 as interest rates continued to rise throughout the year.

The Big Issue has launched the Big Futures campaign to call for long-term efforts to build affordable housing for all in a bid to break the cycle of poverty and protect future generations. 

Advertisement

Change a vendor's life this Christmas

This Christmas, 3.8 million people across the UK will be facing extreme poverty. Thousands of those struggling will turn to selling the Big Issue as a vital source of income - they need your support to earn and lift themselves out of poverty.

Recommended for you

View all
Homelessness facts and statistics: The numbers you need to know in 2024
Homelessness

Homelessness facts and statistics: The numbers you need to know in 2024

Volunteering on Christmas Day: How you can get involved
a man chops vegetables on a table behind an older man
Christmas

Volunteering on Christmas Day: How you can get involved

Labour pledges billions to 'get Britain building' amid housebuilding slump
Labour housing minister Matthew Pennycook
Housebuilding

Labour pledges billions to 'get Britain building' amid housebuilding slump

Number of kids in temporary housing reaches record high: 'Labour must get to grips with this crisis'
A couple in temporary accommodation with a dog
Homelessness

Number of kids in temporary housing reaches record high: 'Labour must get to grips with this crisis'

Most Popular

Read All
Renters pay their landlords' buy-to-let mortgages, so they should get a share of the profits
Renters: A mortgage lender's window advertising buy-to-let products
1.

Renters pay their landlords' buy-to-let mortgages, so they should get a share of the profits

Exclusive: Disabled people are 'set up to fail' by the DWP in target-driven disability benefits system, whistleblowers reveal
Pound coins on a piece of paper with disability living allowancve
2.

Exclusive: Disabled people are 'set up to fail' by the DWP in target-driven disability benefits system, whistleblowers reveal

Cost of living payment 2024: Where to get help now the scheme is over
next dwp cost of living payment 2023
3.

Cost of living payment 2024: Where to get help now the scheme is over

Strike dates 2023: From train drivers to NHS doctors, here are the dates to know
4.

Strike dates 2023: From train drivers to NHS doctors, here are the dates to know