You sit down to enjoy your dinner and some telly as you find out the owner of your home needs you to leave, forcing you to brave the awful renting market again.
Campaign groups are warning that the leading cause of homelessness – which is affecting more than 2,000 households in England each month – is landlords deciding to sell.
According to new research, property owners across the country are looking to reduce their portfolio of properties – meaning thousands face homelessness when the heartbreaking news of eviction comes through.
The data comes from the government’s Statutory Homelessness in England report, which is updated quarterly.
In the most up to date figures, taken between July and September and October and December last year, the end of private rented Assured Shorthold Tenancy (AST) was the most common reason for households being owed a prevention duty by their council – a formal obligation to prevent people losing the roofs over the heads.
Between July and December 2023, the last six months of 2023, 27,090 households had their AST ended, with 45% claiming it was due to the landlord wishing to sell the property. This was the most common reason given, equating to a whopping 12,100 households in that six-month period or roughly 2,016 each month.
Less than half this amount said their tenancy had been terminated as a result of the next most common reason; landlords planning to re-let their property (5,170 or 19%).
The awful news comes in the wake of massive concerns raised by the campaign group Generation Rent, who warned that landlords selling properties is a leading cause of homelessness.
Because of a shortage of properties available for rent, it’s become increasingly more difficult to find a home, let alone stay in one, while the average rent in London is the highest in the country and has grown 4.2% in the last year to £2,121 per month.
When can a landlord sell your home?
A landlord is allowed to sell a property during a tenancy, but they must follow protocol under a section 21 notice, otherwise known as a no-fault eviction. For example, in terms of ASTs, the most common type of rental contract in England, the owner is required to give at least two months’ notice before you have to leave.
The Renters Reform Bill, which would end section 21 evictions, is currently being debated in government, but the current landscape – whereby available private housing is still far below pre-pandemic levels despite increasing demand – means finding a new place may be challenging.
A poll of landlords by the National Residential Landlords Association (NRLA) found that 31% say they plan to cut the number of properties they rent out, a massive difference compared to the tiny 9% who plan to increase the number of properties to let.
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Ben Beadle, chief executive of the NRLA, said: ‘Landlords selling up is the single biggest challenge renters face. The only answer is to ensure responsible landlords have the confidence to stay in the market and sustain tenancies.’
What should you do if your landlord plans to sell your home?
If you’re facing homelessness after being evicted from the property you rent, contact Citizens Advice and your local council. If you have a private landlord, chances are you have an ‘assured shorthold tenancy’ or ‘assured tenancy’.
Always double check your eviction notice to ensure it’s valid, such as a section 21 or section 8. The latter is issued if there are rent arrears while the former is ‘no-fault’ and may be given if the landlord plans to sell the property, even if you have paid all your rent as agreed.
Your local council might be able to give you emergency housing if you are eligible, due to factors such as health problems or if you’ve got children. If you are not eligible, or in the event your local council are unable to provide you with emergency housing, they may find you somewhere to stay at a hostel or a night shelter.
This is how much it really costs to move as a renter
The rental market across the country is dire right now, particularly in London where prices per month are predicted to rise again.
Unwanted moves, which often come as a result of a landlord enacting Section 21, on average cost people £699 to find somewhere new to live. This results in an eye-watering collective bill of £550 million per year.
The bleak figure comes from analysis by housing charity Shelter and figures from YouGov, and it takes into account unrecoverable costs like having to pay rent and bills on two properties in between moving, loss of earnings to view properties, cleaning, hiring removal vans and Wi-Fi installation at the new property.
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