More than 130 families hit with no fault evictions in Northumberland in four years

‘No-fault evictions’, also known as Section 21 notices, allow landlords to order tenants to leave with a minimum of two months’ warning – without having to prove that the tenant is at fault in any way.

Analysis by Northumberland Labour found that 133 households have faced section 21 notices since April 2019.

The figures come from the Government’s own data, with Labour looking at the number of no-fault eviction letters that were followed up with a possession claim in the courts. The party say the true scale of the problem could be worse, as not all section 21 notices would necessarily reach this stage.

The latest figures show that there are 27,318 households privately renting across Northumberland – and Labour say they all remain vulnerable to no fault evictions.

Northumberland Labour leader Coun Scott Dickinson said: “Families in Northumberland need protection from having their lives thrown upside down by no-fault evictions.

"It is a mark of the staggering chaos at the heart of Government under the Conservatives that four years after they promised to fix the problem, nothing has changed.

“The cost of living crisis is suffocating families in Northumberland, and the utter failure of Conservatives to provide competent government is making things harder and harder and harder.”

Labour say their promised renters’ charter would provide new certainty for renters, as well as end no fault evictions and introduce four-month notice periods for landlords wishing to evict their tenants.

Last month, the Government said ‘no fault’ evictions would be delayed until the court system was reformed, with Housing Secretary Michael Gove claiming it was vital to update the courts first.

A spokeswoman for the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communtities said: “Our landmark Renters Reform Bill offers better protections for tenants and gives them greater security than ever before to challenge poor conditions in their homes.

“The Bill also abolishes section 21 ‘no fault’ evictions and redresses the balance between landlords and tenants.”