Hundreds of tenants in Leicestershire were kicked out of their homes without reason last year

Hundreds of Leicestershire residents were evicted from their homes through no fault of their own in 2023. Across the country, just under 26,000 households were threatened with eviction after receiving a Section 21 order last year.

This was up from 24,000 the previous year and 16,000 in 2021. The practice, known as no-fault evictions, had been slated for reform after the Government promised to outlaw it.

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s surprise announcement of a general election on Thursday 4 July means many bills going through the parliamentary process did not become law before Parliament closed. The Tenancy Reform Bill, which included a ban on Section 21 evictions, was among them.

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Section 21 orders – known as no-fault evictions – allow landlords to remove a tenant without giving any reason and with just two months’ notice. Charities have warned that the orders mean tenants can be “thrown out onto the streets at the whim of landlords”, the Reach Data Unit said.

In Leicestershire last year, 426 households were evicted in this way. Perhaps unsurprisingly, the vast majority of these – 284 – were in Leicester. The city had a no-fault eviction rate of 42.4 households per 10,000.

However, the borough of Melton had the highest rate of evictions, with 87.3 per 10,000 households. About 55 households in the neighborhood lost their homes in this way.

Oadby and Wigston had the second highest rate at 46.2 households per 10,000 with 25 no-fault evictions last year. Blaby district saw 16 tenants evicted without reason (17.9 per 10,000 households) and Charnwood borough 17 (7.9 households per 10,000).

In Hinckley and Bosworth Borough, the rate was 11.5 households per 10,000 – 14 overall. Harborough district recorded no fault evictions for 11.1 households per 10,000 – 10 overall.

North West Leicestershire had both the lowest rate of Section 21 orders and the lowest total amount. In 2023, the district had five such evictions with a rate of 4.1 households per 10,000.

Ben Twomey, chief executive of Generation Rent, said: “Whoever forms the next government must make tenancy reform a key part of their agenda. That means adequate protection against evictions when we’ve done nothing wrong, and unaffordable rent caps go up so we can’t be kicked out onto the street at the whim of landlords.”

Tom Darling, campaign manager of the Coalition for Tenant Reform, said: “We look forward to the parties setting out how they intend to tackle the acute crisis of insecurity, deterioration and unaffordability facing private tenants.”