Nearly half of renters forced to move home without wanting to, report shows

Albert Toth
·2 min read
An estimated 830,000 tenants were forced to move from the property they were renting in the last 12 months. (PA Wire)
An estimated 830,000 tenants were forced to move from the property they were renting in the last 12 months. (PA Wire)

Hundreds of thousands of renters in the UK are being forced to move home without wanting to, new research shows.

Insecure tenancies, getting priced out, eviction notices or simply being told to leave, rank among the top causes of unwanted moves in the UK, costing renters an average of £669 for every move. This amounts to a collective bill of £550m, according to analysis.

The new research from housing charity Shelter shows that an estimated 830,000 tenants were forced to move from the property they were renting in the last 12 months.

Amongst all renters, 40 per cent say their last move was forced and not made through choice. Of these forced moves, 190,000 were due to a legal eviction notice.

Housing minister Michael Gove’s department is sponsoring the Renters (Reform) bill (PA)
Housing minister Michael Gove’s department is sponsoring the Renters (Reform) bill (PA)

These will usually be a Section 21 notice, a controversial power that allows landlords to evict tenants from their homes at just two months’ notice without having to give a reason.

Natalie, 47, from Brighton, has moved 12 times in the past 21 years. She has faced two no-fault evictions in the last 18 months alone. Natalie received her last notice after complaining when her previous landlord tried to raise her rent from £795 to £950, a 20 per cent increase.

“Though I’ve been in my new home for seven months now, I still can’t quite relax. I haven’t even unpacked properly,” she said.

“I’m worried that as soon as I do, I’m going to have to move again.

“I feel traumatised by what’s happened. It’s like I’m always in fight-or-flight.”

Have you been affected by the issues in this story? Get in touch via email: albert.toth@independent.co.uk

Despite a 2019 manifesto pledge from the Conservatives to scrap Section 21 notices, the power still remains in place today.

In 2023, the government introduced the Renters (Reform) Bill to parliament, which would scrap Section 21 notices and give greater rights to renters in the UK.

Five years after the Conservatives’ promise, and nearly a year on from the introduction of the bill, it still hasn’t been passed.

Housing charities have criticised MPs, saying that they are bowing to pressure from landlord lobbyists by needlessly delaying the legislation.

Polly Neate, chief executive of Shelter, said: “Tenants are coughing up millions in unwanted and unwarranted moves, while the government runs scared of a minority of its own MPs.

“Instead of striking dodgy deals with backbenchers to strangle the Renters (Reform) Bill, Ministers should defend renters’ best hope of a stable home.

“England’s 11 million tenants will remember all too well who fought for them when they finally head to the ballot box.”

A Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities spokesperson said: “The Renters (Reform) Bill will deliver the manifesto commitment to abolish Section 21 evictions. It will be returning to the House of Commons shortly.”