Data shows that 27% of tenants evicted month before Section 21 abolishment

More than one in four (27%) of tenants were served notice in the month before Section 21 ‘no fault’ evictions were abolished, according to Coho.

The company, which analysed 150,000 tenancies, found that the new clause in the Renters’ Rights Act has driven around 73,900 additional tenancy eviction notices since 2023. Nearly 20,000 of these were issued in the final month before the Act came into force on May 1.

Coho said that historically, 5.7% of notices were linked to Section 21. This rose temporarily to above 8% following the announcement of the legislation three years ago and to 11.4% of tenancies as the Renter’s Right Act became certain. 

Landlords protecting from risk

But the company said this latest surge is less about landlords evicting for the sake of it and more about protecting themselves from risk.

Vann Vogstad, CEO and co-founder of COHO, said: “Landlords aren’t looking for perfect tenants; they’re looking for tenants who can pay the rent and live without causing issues. In most cases, they’ll give people the benefit of the doubt for quite some time. 

“Section 21 gave landlords a safety net. It allowed them to stick with tenants through arrears or challenges, knowing there was a final route if things didn’t improve. Removing that option has understandably changed behaviours.

“What we’re seeing isn’t landlords evicting for the sake of evicting; it’s landlords responding to a shift in risk. Without Section 21, dealing with serious arrears or anti-social issues can take months, so some have had to act ahead of that change.

“Ultimately, the removal of no-fault evictions will likely make landlords more cautious and selective, which may have wider impacts across the rental market.”

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