Big Issue founder demands immediate implementation of no-fault eviction ban
Lord Bird tables Lords amendment to RRB and uses Rightmove data to dismiss 'landlord exodus' concerns.
Big Issue founder Lord John Bird (pictured) has tabled an amendment to the Renters’ Rights Bill that would ban no-fault evictions from the moment the legislation receives royal assent.
He submitted the proposal on the final day of the bill’s committee stage in the House of Lords (Thursday 15 May).
Six years, four prime ministers and a change of government later, we’re still waiting for that promise to be fulfilled.”
Bird told The Big Issue: “It has been 2,222 days since a UK Government first promised to abolish no-fault evictions. Six years, four prime ministers and a change of government later, we’re still waiting for that promise to be fulfilled.”
The current version of the bill includes a transition period of 6-12 months before the ban on Section 21 evictions takes effect. Bird says these evictions, which allow landlords to repossess properties without having to provide a reason, are the leading cause of homelessness
He therefore believes an immediate ban would prevent thousands of additional evictions during the transition process. According to the Renters’ Reform Coalition, more than 120,000 households have already faced Section 21 evictions since Theresa May’s government first promised to abolish them six years ago.
Warnings dismissed
And he dismisses warnings from landlord lobby groups of a potential ‘exodus’ from the rental market if those types of evictions are immediately abolished. He points to recent Rightmove data that shows that despite the looming rule changes, the number of new properties coming to the rental market in March was 11% up on the same period last year, while the overall number of rental properties was 18% above 2024 levels.
And Rightmove’s lettings expert, Christian Balshen, stated that he believes the Renters’ Rights Bill is: “Likely to have limited impact on the rental market, despite the warnings that landlords walking away could lead to higher rents.”
The Bill will be next scrutinised at the report stage before progressing to a third reading in the House of Lords and then return to the Commons and for royal assent.
If the gov encouraged landlords there would be over supply and they’d have to compete on price and quality. Fact is though this deluded bunch think that everyone can own their own home and everyone can rent if they want – you can’t have both. You’d think it would sink in that the more they meddle, the worse it gets! oh no, that would take common sense.
LOL – we have never had a problem serving s21 notices on our tenants – in the vast majority of cases the tenant ends the tenancy and of the times we have served notice it is because the landlord wants to sell the property, which we are doing so more now than before. Presumably, Lord Bird is demanding the government puts a stop to their policies to make vulnerable tenants homeless through their encouragement of landlords to hand their properties over to housing immigrants – via s21 bolstered by a rental bidding was that favours the government.