‘Total panic’: the effect of no-fault evictions on renters in England

Section 21 evictions enable private landlords to oust tenants, even if they have done nothing wrong

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When Sarah Ladyman was made redundant from her job as a horticulturist earlier this year, her one-bedroom flat was her sanctuary. Then, her landlord attempted to raise her monthly rent from £775 to £900. She took her case to a rent tribunal – only to be served with a no-fault eviction notice.

No-fault eviction notices – officially known as section 21 evictions – mean private landlords can oust tenants who have done nothing wrong. Even though the tribunal agreed that the proposed increase on Ladyman’s Exeter home was too steep – setting it instead at £825 a month – she is virtually powerless in her attempt to halt the eviction process and lives with the gnawing fear that her home of three years will be seized by bailiffs.