New data based on a sample of 150,000 tenancies suggests the rental reform by the current and past governments has triggered an extra 73,900 evictions in the past three years.
And some 20,000 of those eviction notices were issued in April, the the final month before the Renters Rights Act came into force on May 1 this year.
Historically, 5.7% of notices were linked to Section 21 notices, rising temporarily to above 8% following the announcement by the last Conservative government of rental reform.
It then climbed to 11.4% of tenancies as the Renter’s Right Act became certain.
A spokesperson for COHO, the firm behind the analysis, says: “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.”
