Landlord possession claims fell in the first quarter of the year, according to new Ministry of Justice data, casting doubt on warnings from landlord groups of a last-minute wave of evictions ahead of rental reforms.
The figures show a 4% drop in claims compared to the same period in 2024, as the Renters’ Rights Bill concludes its committee stage in the House of Lords today.
The data has prompted campaigners to call on the Government to bring forward implementation of the Bill’s key measure – an outright ban on section 21 ‘no fault’ evictions – rather than delaying it to an unspecified future date.
The Renters’ Reform Coalition (RRC) is backing an amendment from Big Issue founder Lord John Bird, which would abolish section 21 evictions immediately upon royal assent. Lord Bird said: “It has been 2,221 days since a UK government first promised to abolish no-fault evictions. Six years, four prime ministers and a change of government later, we’re still waiting for that promise to be fulfilled.
“The amendment I’ve raised is imperative for ensuring that there is no further delay. I call on my fellow peers to back my proposal to ban section 21 as soon as legislatively possible when the Renters’ Rights Bill finally assents later this year.”
The Lords – where the Government lacks a majority – may still seek to amend or delay the Bill. One proposed change includes allowing landlords to demand several months’ rent upfront, a practice the Bill currently seeks to ban. In March, it was reported that Conservative peer Baroness Scott met landlord representatives to discuss potential legal challenges to the Bill.
Campaigners urged the Government to hold firm. RRC director Tom Darling said: “Homelessness, ill health, anxiety, poverty – the state of private renting in England is responsible for so much misery. And section 21 ‘no fault’ evictions are right at the heart of this broken system. Now it is clear that landlord groups’ warnings of a last minute eviction surge is not taking place, the Government should press on and abolish section 21 immediately once the Bill is passed.”
He added: “In its current form, the Renters’ Rights Bill should make a real difference to renters, but it could be undermined by pro-landlord amendments at Report stage. If this happens the Government must strip out any hostile amendments with its Commons majority. These long-awaited reforms have strong public support from all sides – to allow the Bill to be watered down at the 11th hour would not only be a shocking betrayal of renters, it would also be terrible politics.”
The RRC estimates that over 120,000 households have been served with section 21 notices since the Government first pledged to scrap them in 2019 under Theresa May.
