'Ban on no-fault evictions could ease homelessness’

The District Councils’ Network has welcomed the Government’s announcement that it is to proceed with the Renters’ Reform Bill.

DCN member councils have long called for the ban on section 21 ‘no-fault’ evictions because we believe everyone should feel secure and protected in their own home. We are therefore pleased that this is at the centre of the Government’s plans.

The Government’s homelessness statistics release show that in 2022 20% of homelessness presentations seen by district councils were the result of no-fault evictions (See note below). This exacerbated the housing crisis and placed further pressure on already overstretched housing services and emergency accommodation.

In response to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities’ announcement, DCN housing spokesperson Cllr Hannah Dalton said:

“All of our residents should feel secure in their own homes, regardless whether they own or rent, so we are hugely supportive of the plan to end ‘no-fault’ evictions, which currently lead to a third of homelessness presentations in district areas.

“District council housing teams, working on the front line of homelessness prevention, have been urging measures to empower and protect tenants for some time, so we are delighted that the Government has listened.

“However, resource and capacity challenges within council environmental health and housing teams need to be addressed to ensure we can fulfil our potential to fully protect private sector tenants through the expansion of the Decent Homes Standard. We look forward to working with the Government to explore innovative ways to recruit and retain the workforce needed to expand the Decent Homes Standard.

“We know that councils need more support and further powers to develop more effective enforcement.

“The last three years of turmoil have reminded us of the importance of the private rented sector in helping to meet our housing needs and ensuring that the system is fair to tenants and landlords. We look forward to working with tenants and landlords to ensure the system works for both.”

* NB Figure for the overall proportion of presentations which were the result of no-fault evictions has been corrected from previous versions. Apologies for the error.