A renter who was served a Section 21 eviction has described the experience as one that 'nearly killed him', expressing ongoing fears that such an ordeal could recur. Adrian Fletcher, 55, received the no-fault eviction notice after raising complaints about severe damp, mould, and water ingress in his Worthing home.
Health and Housing Struggles
Mr Fletcher, who has been long-term unemployed due to health issues, explained that his current home presents serious problems, but he was forced into it with no other options. 'There's no insulation in the walls at all. In my lounge, I've got rising damp; in my main bedroom, as you move to the end of the flight into the kitchen and bathroom area, there's black mould. It's not really bad, but it's there. It's a nightmare,' he said. 'Having been through the Section 21, it nearly killed me, and that's not an exaggeration. After it was all done and dusted and I’d moved in here, I had a breakdown. It was really quite serious.' He added that while he has suffered from bouts of depression throughout his life, they have been short-lived, but this episode was particularly severe.
Reforms Welcome but Concerns Remain
Mr Fletcher welcomed the Renters' Rights Act, which abolishes Section 21 evictions, but expressed concerns that the reforms do not go far enough. 'I think it's good, however, it's nowhere near as good as it should be. Number one, the abolishment of Section 21 is absolutely great. That’s something every tenant in the land will be absolutely popping the corks over. However, it’s been watered down already, and I really don’t like it. I’m really unclear about how this database of bad landlords is going to work; it is sounding very vague, how they are going to do that, how they are going to enforce it,' he stated.
James Coleman, a 37-year-old medical software developer from Crawley, shared similar concerns. He received a Section 21 notice that forced him, his wife, and their two children out of the home they had lived in for nine-and-a-half years. 'It came in through the door at the end of February, and it’s really heartless because there’s no notice whatsoever. Because it’s hand delivered by a member of the letting agency… there’s no stamp and so you go 'oh s**t', I know exactly what this is. There’s no sorry, it just says leave. It was scary; my wife and I were in tears, and just shaking,' he recalled.
Mr Coleman noted that the reforms still leave power with landlords. 'The thing that frustrates me is that my landlord needs to give a reference to the new landlord, but did I have to get a reference from the new landlord's old tenants? No, I didn't, so it's still very one-sided. The act has done nothing on this side of things. Maybe the ombudsman that they have to register with might help,' he said. He acknowledged the ban on Section 21 is positive, but pointed out that landlords can still evict for reasons like selling the property, just with more notice. 'We are just raising a family, that’s all we’ve ever wanted to do. The only reason we are renting is we’ve never had a deposit. It’s almost like a class issue,' he added.
Renters' Rights Act Overview
The Renters' Rights Act signals the end of Section 21 'no fault' evictions, meaning private landlords will not be able to evict tenants without a valid justification. Instead of fixed contracts, tenancies in the private rented sector will roll on from month to month or week to week, giving renters more flexibility. Tenants can end them with two months' notice. The Act also introduces fairer rent rules, with landlords only able to raise rents once a year and tenants able to challenge unfair increases.
