Flagship renters rights reforms could lead to a “tidal wave” of illegal evictions, ministers have been warned.
The Renters' Reform Coalition (RRC) has claimed the system is barely policed - and it could get worse if the Renters Rights Bill is passed. First promised in 2019, the bill will look into banning bidding wars, allow renters to have pets, and more importantly it will ban Section 21 evictions - known as "no fault evictions" - for new and existing tenancies.
However, the RRC have raised concerns landlords who have relied on section 21 to evict tenants may increasingly turn to illegal methods once the bill is passed.
Tom Darling, Director at the RRC, called for the government to ensure that police forces and councils crack down on illegal eviction.
He said: "This is already a hidden crisis - each year thousands of renters, often those who are already struggling to make ends meet, are made homeless by criminal landlords using brutal tactics.
"Few things are more serious than losing your home, but illegal evictions have a prosecution rate of less than 1%.
"England risks seeing a tidal wave of these evictions unless the government ensure that police forces and councils crack down on illegal eviction as the serious crime that it is, and show landlords that criminal behaviour won't be tolerated."
