The Medway Labour and Co-operative Group are calling on the government to end Section 21 eviction notices as news emerges that over 25,000 tenants have been removed from housing through these ‘no-fault evictions’ since the Conservative Party pledged to scrap them back in the middle of 2019.
Research has consistently shown the negative effects that the current legislation, which only applies in England, has on tenant’s mental health and the stability of their children’s education as families can’t have peace of mind about the security of their tenancies.
Louise Cripps, a Gillingham resident affected by Section 21, said:
“The law around renting a property is extremely unfair. I’ve done nothing wrong but my landlord is evicting me using Section 21 as I cannot pay more rent.
“I am disabled and this property has been tailored to my needs. I’ve lived here for over seven years and it’s my home, but now I have to leave through no fault of my own.
“This whole situation has caused me a lot of stress and has been detrimental to my health. It’s clear that the law needs to change, as so many people are suffering because of this outdated and unfair legislation.”
Cllr Naushabah Khan, Medway Labour and Co-operative Group Spokesperson for Housing said:
“We welcomed the Tories’ prior pledge to carry out a much needed reform to the rental market, but are disappointed that this has become yet another broken promise from this government.
“Medway Labour want to play a role in helping to create a Medway that works in the interests of both property owners and tenants. Evidence from Scotland, where an end to ‘no-fault evictions’ was introduced in 2017, shows that scare stories surrounding a collapse of the private renting sector never materialised. The sole impact of this policy was significantly easing the stress on families who lived in rental properties.
“That is why we are calling on the Government to quickly introduce this much-needed reform. These recently released statistics show that kicking this issue into the long grass, while thousands of private renters in Medway and across the country suffer with housing insecurity, is frankly not good enough.”
Notes
Research from Shelter that assessed the impact of these renting reforms in Scotland where they’ve been carried out
Link to the Government’s 2018 consultation which noted the considerable negative impact the status quo has on English renters
Recent statistics showing thousands have been issued Section 21 orders since the Government said they should be abolished