Dominic Bright provides an overview of the challenges & consequences of the government’s move to end ‘no-fault’ evictions
- End of ‘no-fault’ evictions through repeal of Section 21 of the Housing Act 1998.
- Strengthening Section 8 so that landlords are able to regain their property should they wish to sell, or move in.
In the Ministry of Housing, Communities & Local Government’s Overcoming the Barriers to Longer Tenancies in the Private Rented Sector (April 2019), the government announced that ‘we will introduce a generational change to the law that governs private renting. This government will put an end to “no-fault” evictions by repealing Section 21 of the Housing Act 1988’ [8]. All subsequent references are to paragraphs in this document. It was rightly described as a ‘significant step’ [28]. One reason is that, ‘on the whole landlords were resistant to the removal of the Section 21 “no-fault” eviction procedure’ [22].
Last year, over eight weeks, the government consulted on longer tenancies, proposing a new, three-year model. Over 8,500 responses were received. A ‘significant proportion’ were from landlords. Around a further 6,000
