Tenants Evicted Hours Before No-Fault Eviction Ban in England
It was 2pm on 30 April when Carl Kansinde Middleton received a no-fault eviction notice from his landlord in Brighton – just 10 hours before section 21 notices were officially banned under the Renters’ Rights Act. “As we were getting closer, I really thought I was safe,” he said. “It just never occurred to me that it would come right on the last day – I truly felt blindsided.” Middleton, 27, lost his job in November and has been struggling financially. “I haven’t found a place yet. Honestly I don’t know what I’m going to do,” he added.
Middleton is one of hundreds across England who received a no-fault eviction in the weeks, days, and even hours before the practice was banned. Solicitors reported being inundated with requests to serve last-minute notices, with some hand-delivered when there was no time to post them.
Three days earlier, section 21 eviction notices were issued to all 12 tenants in a converted house in Moseley, Birmingham, after the property was sold to a new owner claiming refurbishment needs. “Everyone was in tears,” said Sharonjit Sutton, a self-employed graphic designer. “We still can’t believe it. None of us have started packing because we can’t imagine leaving.” Jess Thiari, 41, who has lived there for seven years and is recovering from a pulmonary embolism, described the eviction as “like a blow to the stomach”. She noted, “People have lived here for 10, 20 years and we’re good tenants, nobody is behind on rent. They just did it because they could.”
The building was sold by an individual landlord to a property development company linked to temporary accommodation providers. Tenants worry the new laws have pushed smaller landlords to sell up, creating a competitive rental market. “We went to a flat viewing and there was someone else viewing who had also been given a section 21 eviction. It’s going to be very competitive,” Sutton said.
In Barnet, north London, 68-year-old Izzi received her eviction notice on 27 April after being diagnosed with a benign brain tumour. “Having rented the same place for 22 years, I am appalled. I think I’m looking at homelessness, and at my age that feels like a death sentence,” she said. She struggles to find affordable ground-floor accommodation due to frozen housing benefit.
Sara*, a self-employed hairdresser from Otley, Leeds, and single mother of two children with autism and ADHD, was served a section 21 notice in February without warning. “Honestly, it’s turned our lives upside down,” she said. Despite an immaculate rental record, she cannot find a new home and has been told the council will only help once she is actually homeless. “I’ve literally got to wait until the bailiffs come to remove me. That’s terrifying,” she added.
A spokesperson for the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government stated: “Banning no-fault evictions is the biggest change to renting in a generation and will free families from the misery it has created. We brought in this ban as swiftly as possible while giving the sector enough time to prepare.”
* Name has been changed.
