I lived with the threat of ‘no-fault’ eviction for a decade – never again

The government’s announcement that its promised ban on Section 21 “no-fault” evictions is to be delayed indefinitely did not surprise me. After all, it is all in a day’s work for a Tory administration that has shown time and time again how little interest it has in tackling the most important issue facing young people in this country: an out-of-control rental crisis.

Rents are soaring nationwide and rising at the fastest rate since records began. No-fault evictions – whereby landlords can ask tenants to leave a property without needing a reason – are a leading cause of homelessness, and they are only increasing. The number of households evicted by bailiffs as a result of Section 21 proceedings has more than doubled in the last year, according to figures published by the Ministry of Justice.

And yet, you wouldn’t know it if you were to watch Rishi Sunak’s speech earlier this month at the Conservative Party Conference. The prime minister found time for a joke about Nicola Sturgeon facing prison and a declaration that transgender identities are not valid, but he blithely breezed through his vision for the future running of the country without a single mention of the housing crisis. It left me wondering whether Sunak and I inhabited the same country – or the same reality.

As a young professional in London, all of my friends are impacted by the rental crisis. Many are spending over half their salary on rent after their landlords hiked it up – itself a reaction to soaring mortgage rates. Finding a home to rent was never an easy task, but it has turned into a hellish one. There are simply not enough rental properties going.

And so, prospective tenants are now expected to “bid” hundreds of pounds over the market rent to secure a property, in some cases pressured to sign up for tenancies that last 36 months, and even to write begging cover letters, just to be considered for the honour of renting a property that will take up the major slice of their monthly income.

This is not only a “London problem”. Private rental costs went up across the UK by an overall 5.3 per cent over the last year, but where was the greatest increase seen? Wales. Which rather puts paid to the often-cited refrain that crippling rents are just an issue for those who wish to live in the capital.

Section 21 evictions allow landlords to give tenants two months’ notice to leave without needing to give a reason. No one is saying that banning these evictions would magically solve the rampant and hopelessly complex rental crisis, but it would have gone a way to ease the uncertainty renters so often feel knowing that at any time their landlord could tell them to get out.

It was hoped that the ban would allow tenants to challenge poor landlords on the condition of their rented homes and question unfair rent increases without fear of eviction. Tom Darling, the campaign manager of the Renters’ Reform Coalition, said that the threat of no-fault eviction leaves renters feeling as though there is a “sword of Damocles” hanging over their heads.

I can attest to this. I spent over a decade renting in London, travelled through 10 different homes, and lived with 18 flatmates, until I was able to buy my own flat, thanks only to an inheritance and a huge chunk of money from my mother and father. I can still recall the absolute giddy relief I felt – and still, four months on, feel – at being out of the rental market.

There are lots of benefits to owning rather than renting, but the most pressing one I have felt is walking around my flat and knowing that nobody can kick me out of it, that my monthly payments (fixed for five years, thank God) cannot suddenly shoot up. It is this stability that the banning of no-fault evictions would have given tenants. The opportunity to put some roots down should not solely be the preserve of those lucky enough to buy their own home.

But, once again, this government has shrugged off its promises to the 4.6 million households renting privately in the UK. The party promised to end Section 21 evictions in their 2019 manifesto as part of wider reforms to the private rental sector. When Michael Gove challenged his backbench’s criticism that abolishing Section 21 was “somehow un-Conservative” in the Commons on Monday, he was heckled by Sir Edward Leigh, the Tory former minister, who retorted with a shout: “It is un-Conservative.”

Leigh was speaking the truth. The Tories are historically known as the party of homeowners and this move underlines the government’s commitment to those lucky enough to own a home and rent it out, at the expense of tenants.

I think back to the amount of hand-wringing that took place in parliament as mortgage rates soared. Lenders were called before the Treasury Select Committee and questioned by MPs on the impact of the rising payments on their customers. There were even calls for the government to offer mortgage owners help with their payments. Very few voices pointed out that even with massive hikes in rates, most mortgage payments were still well below the equivalent monthly rent.

This latest delay once more leaves millions of renters feeling as though they have been sold down the river as Sunak and co appear more concerned with appeasing their backbenchers than actually governing the country.