The government has committed to introduce the Renters’ Rights Bill which will ban Section 21 ‘no fault’ evictions for both new and existing tenancies
Bill Mitchell outside his house.(Image: Andrew Teebay Liverpool Echo)
Over the course of the last year, many families across Merseyside have been plunged into a state of misery and chaos after being forced out of their homes. For many, the instrument of their anguish has been a Section 21 ‘no fault’ eviction which has been used to threaten approximately 500 private renters in England every day during 2024, according to the housing charity Shelter.
In just one street in Seaforth, four families and four separate households were evicted after receiving a Section 21 from the same landlord and private housing firm. A Section 21 is commonly known as the ‘no fault’ eviction notice and allow landlords to evict a tenant with two months’ notice, without having to give a reason.
Despite each of the households containing vulnerable residents who had created stable homes and raised families, they were powerless to stop the evictions and had to find alternative accommodation. When the ECHO spoke to the families back in March, they had just 53 days to find a new home and it was clear the evictions had caused profound distress.
Bill Mitchell, 65, received his eviction notice after living in the same house for 25 years with his wife Pamela, 63 and their son. Through the back window, you can see a garden which he tends to every day and the rest of his time is spent caring for his wife and his son – both of whom have severe mental health issues and physical disabilities.
He said at the time: “My wife is in a right state. I’ve broken down in tears a couple of times. I was speaking to my sister about it and I just had a panic attack.”
Bill added: “We are all scared stiff. We are petrified. We just don’t know what the future holds for us.”
Another resident of the street is Pat who lived moved there to help care for her daughter, who tragically lost a battle with cancer. Pat was raising and caring for her grandchild in her daughter’s old house, but received the same ‘no fault’ eviction notice as the other three families. Speaking at the time, Pat broke down in tears when she recalled trying to explain the eviction to her grandchild, she said: “I couldn’t say where we would go. I don’t want to raise a child in a hotel.”
Pat added: “The landlord knows my daughter passed away, they know I’m looking after my grandchild. I told them the house holds a lot of memories. It’s where I have all my visions of the last days of my daughter.
“It’s cruel what they’re doing. They have no compassion.”
Bill Mitchell, 65 and his neighbour, Michelle, 50 are two of the neighbours facing eviction.(Image: LDRS)
The third family the ECHO spoke to was Barry and Michelle who were living on the road with their two children, Barry said at the time: “We felt safe and secure in the house, the kids feel safe and secure, but that’s all been thrown out the window.”
Michelle described the impact on her mental health and said the stress was too much to bear, she added: “I feel like this situation is going to kill one of us. I’m getting palpitations and I’m having panic attacks. I thought I was going to die last night.” Michelle said her daughter just kept saying ‘don’t cry mummy, don’t cry mummy’ when the eviction notice came through.
The ECHO understands that at least two of these families have been rehoused since the eviction notices were served back in March.
Three months after the report about the four families facing eviction in the same street, the ECHO covered the story of a disabled mother-of-two who said she felt like a “prisoner” in a hotel she was placed in after being evicted from her home. Jacqueline Henry and her two children were given just an hour to vacate the home she and her family had lived in for a decade.
The family were subsequently placed in temporary accommodation, Jacqueline said at the time: “It’s not accessible for me to park my scooter and I’m having to use a crutch, which is killing me. My son is autistic and we’re basically living on top of each other in one room.
“There’s no cooking facility so we’re having to spend money I don’t have on food, it’s killing me financially. Because I can’t walk well, I’m a prisoner in the hotel.”
Jacqueline Henry and her son are in the Heeton Concept Hotel after their eviction(Image: Liverpool ECHO)
In November a family spoke to the ECHO about the “upheaval” of receiving a no fault eviction and the pressure it places on vulnerable people. Earlier in the autumn, a 64-year-old woman from Orrell Park – who asked not to be named – and her daughter received notification from their landlord that they needed to leave their home of eight years.
After a lengthy court battle, the mum and her daughter – who has learning difficulties – were told to vacate their home and had to secure temporary accommodation in the city centre through Liverpool Council. The family told the ECHO of the “massive impact” the no fault eviction has had on their lives and said: ““My mum keeps breaking down,.
“It’s been a very difficult process, we’re all mentally and physically drained. It’s had a massive impact on the family, I’ve had to take my mum’s dog on.”
Responding to the case at the time, Cllr Alan Gibbons, ward member for Orrell Park said the family’s situation was evidence of the “worst housing crisis of my lifetime.” He added the subsequent wait for re-housing was also an aggravating factor in the family’s anguish: “If my sense of stress and apprehension was acute, it is hard to imagine what the family were feeling.”
The government’s Renters’ Rights Bill will ban Section 21 ‘no fault’ evictions for both new and existing tenancies and allow tenants to challenge unfair rent increases and poor conditions. The hope is the legislation will give renters greater security and stability so they can stay in their homes for longer.
A spokesperson for the Ministry for Housing, Communities and Local Government said: “Our Renters’ Rights Bill will deliver on our promise to transform the sector and the rights for 11 million private tenants across England, so that people can put down roots and save for the future without fear of being evicted on a whim – including plans to end ‘no fault’ evictions for all existing and new tenants.”
The ECHO understands the Bill’s impact assessment shows greater tenancy security will benefit renters’ wellbeing and health as well as provide educational benefits for children who will grow up with increased housing security in better quality housing.
Sefton councillor Daren Veidman, Cabinet Member for Housing and Highways, said: “It was great to see the government’s proposal to give more security for renters when they announced plans to ban no fault evictions.
“Having a place you can call home is really important and to have the threat of eviction hanging over you, through no fault of your own, is something that affects people in so many ways.
“We know there is a real need for affordable housing, this is right across the country and not just in Sefton. We showed our commitment to this with the construction of our first council houses for many years, which will be ready for tenants in the spring, and we’ve got plans to develop more in the future.”