It’s time to really end no fault evictions

After several U-turns, the Government has finally published their proposals for delivering on the 2019 Conservative Manifesto commitment to end no fault evictions, unfortunately they fall far short of what is really needed.

Under s21 of the Housing Act 1988, landlords are able to regain possession of properties without establishing any fault on the part of the tenant. For over 9,000 residents currently renting privately in Crawley, the existence of the provision leaves them at constant fear of homelessness.

Whatever the initial intention of s21, with housing in short supply, some landlords have been using the threat of s21 to prevent or punish tenants exercising their own statutory rights, resulting in declining housing conditions for those living in the sector.

Unfortunately, while the Government’s White Paper proposes an end to s21, the new legislation would enable no fault evictions via the backdoor through masking the evictions via other conditional requirements.

The private rented sector makes up 20.1% of housing in Crawley, a figure which is only likely to grow over time. After the long wait for action, the Conservatives are now only promising half-measures.