27.03.2020 / News / Covid-19

UVW’s response to new eviction legislation

Yesterday, the government was forced to offer proper temporary protection from eviction.

Previously they only extended the notice period from 2 to 3 months and did nothing for those currently going through eviction proceedings in court. Now they’ve been forced to suspend all current eviction proceedings.

Whilst the government will presumably allow for those proceedings to resume as soon as possible, that now won’t be for at least 3 months. There are around 170 court ordered evictions a day in the UK which means that a minimum of more than 15,000 people have averted potential homelessness over the next 3 months, not to mention the many, many more that would have been evicted under section 21 notices, and illegal evictions from bullying landlords.

This news is very welcome and will bring some much needed respite for millions of renters. But it is still not good enough, as rent remains an obligation, and therefore renters face the real possibility of emerging from lockdown with crippling debt and the threat of eviction in the near future.

Before the December 2019 general election, the government announced plans to scrap section 21 ’no fault’ evictions. UVW calls on the government to urgently revive those plans and abolish section 21.