Labour-run councils in England have used a legal loophole to issue almost 200 households with no-fault eviction notices since the party was elected on a promise to ban the practice, a Guardian investigation has found. Scrapping these orders, known as section 21 evictions, was one of Keir Starmer’s main pledges before last July’s general election but, more than a year later, they remain lawful.
Local authorities cannot normally carry out no-fault evictions. These are permitted if renters have an assured shorthold tenancy, a type of rental agreement offered by private landlords. However, some councils have been able to sidestep this through arm’s length companies set up to manage their housing stock.
Since Labour gained power, companies owned by five of its councils have started no-fault eviction proceedings against 191 households. Some renters have been taken to court, with several being removed from their homes by bailiffs. The councils involved are Lambeth, Reading, Blackpool, Nottingham and Enfield.
Lambeth council has issued 63 no-fault eviction notices since last July. Five households have received possession orders through the courts and two have been removed by bailiffs. Lambeth council said it faced “incredibly difficult choices” but had decided to use the properties to house those already homeless. Jules Zakolska, 27, said she and fellow tenants were “traumatised” by the thought they too may end up in temporary accommodation, adding that some were suicidal.
Reading council announced plans to close its housing company, Homes for Reading, two weeks after the general election. Since then, 48 households have been served with no-fault eviction notices, 20 of whom have left their properties. Some vacated homes are being used as temporary accommodation for homeless people, despite the fact they were supposed to be let to key workers. Charlene Flygring, 38, who received a no-fault eviction notice in May, said: “Everything seems very hopeless at the moment.”
Blackpool council has issued 73 no-fault notices since Labour took power. In the same time, 15 households have received possession orders and three have been evicted by bailiffs. The Guardian understands that the council often uses the notices as a means of addressing drug use and antisocial behaviour.
