More than a quarter of tenants were served eviction notices in the month before the Renters’ Rights Act came into force on 1st May, according to new data from property management platform COHO.
Analysis of 150,000 tenancies shows eviction notices peaked at 27.1% of tenancies immediately before Section 21 no-fault evictions were abolished, compared to a historical rate of 5.7%.
COHO estimates the legislation contributed to 73,900 additional eviction notices being issued since plans to abolish Section 21 were first announced, including nearly 20,000 in the final month before implementation.
Risk-based decision making
The data shows Section 21-related notices rose above 8% following the initial announcement of reform, then reached 11.4% when implementation became certain.
Vann Vogstad, Chief Executive and Co-founder of COHO, attributed the increase to changing risk calculations rather than landlords seeking to remove tenants arbitrarily.
“What we’re seeing isn’t landlords evicting for the sake of evicting; it’s landlords responding to a shift in risk,” Vogstad said. “Without Section 21, dealing with serious arrears or anti-social issues can take months, so some have had to act ahead of that change.”
He added that Section 21 had previously provided landlords with a safety net, allowing them to support tenants through temporary difficulties whilst retaining a final recourse option if situations did not improve.
Market implications
The findings suggest the removal of no-fault evictions may lead to more cautious tenant selection processes, potentially affecting access to rental properties for some prospective tenants.
The shift in landlord behaviour comes as disputes over tenancy deposits remain a persistent issue in the rental sector, and as rental market dynamics continue to evolve across different regions.
“Landlords aren’t looking for perfect tenants; they’re looking for tenants who can pay the rent and live without causing issues,” Vogstad said. “Removing that option has understandably changed behaviours.”
The data indicates a significant adjustment period as the private rental sector adapts to the new regulatory framework, with potential longer-term effects on both landlord retention and tenant access to housing.