Shelter urges Government to name implementation date for Renters’ Rights Bill as data shows nearly 1,000 no-fault evictions every month

This marks an 8% rise on the previous year.

The Ministry of Justice data also showed that more than 30,000 Section 21 no-fault eviction notices were issued by private landlords in England during the same period.

The Government promised in its election manifesto to ‘immediately abolish no-fault evictions’.

However, the Renters’ Rights Bill is not expected to receive Royal Assent until late 2025 ahead of implementation in early 2026.

The Government has insisted that the Bill remains on track to become law this year.  

The legislation would give new tenants a 12-month "protected period" where they cannot be evicted if the landlord wants to move in or sell the property.

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Landlords will still be able to evict tenants for other reasons including non-payment of rent or criminal behaviour.

After the first year, landlords would have to give tenants four months' notice to leave, doubling the current time period, and provide a specific reason for ending a tenancy.

Mairi MacRae, Director of Campaigns and Policy at Shelter, said: "It is unconscionable that more than a year after the government came to power, thousands of renters continue to be marched out of their homes by bailiffs because of an unfair policy that the government said would be scrapped immediately.

“For far too long, tenants’ lives have been thrown into turmoil by the rank injustice of no fault evictions. At the whim of private landlords, thousands of tenants are being left with just two months to find a new home, plunging them into a ruthless rental market and leaving many exposed to the riptide of homelessness.

“The Renters’ Rights Bill will overhaul a broken system and usher in a long-overdue era of stability and security for tenants. To curb record homelessness and ensure renters can live free from the threat of no-fault eviction, the government must deliver on this commitment, pass the Bill, and name an implementation date when Section 21 will finally be scrapped.”

A Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government spokesperson said: “No one should live in fear of a Section 21 eviction and these new figures show exactly why we will abolish them through our Renters’ Rights Bill, which is a manifesto commitment and legislative priority for this government.

“We’re determined to level the playing field by providing tenants with greater security, rights and protections in their homes and our landmark reforms will be implemented swiftly after the Bill becomes law.”

The full statistics released by the Ministry of Justice are available here.

Harry Rodd