A Day in the Courts: Unveiling the Deluge of 'No-Fault' Evictions – A Gaze at Accountability, Directed at Rishi Sunak
As the festive season approaches, a stark reality looms over England, with record numbers of children poised to be homeless this Christmas due to the shattering of promises aimed at protecting tenants. The heart of this housing crisis is exposed within Manchester's civil court, a microcosm of a nationwide predicament where the housing pressure-cooker reaches its boiling point.
This court, much like its counterparts across the country, witnesses a heartbreaking spectacle of individuals losing their homes – a dire consequence of skyrocketing mortgages and stagnant incomes that fail to cover escalating rents. Court bailiffs are dispatched from these halls, becoming the harbingers of upheaval for hundreds every day.
Amidst this housing calamity, a great scandal emerges in the form of a spiraling number of tenants facing eviction through "no-fault" section 21 orders. This egregious tool allows landlords to eject tenants, irrespective of their timely rent payments, years of residence, or impeccable conduct. The 2019 Conservative manifesto pledged to abolish this power, introducing the renters' reform bill. However, hopes were abruptly dashed in October when the government indefinitely suspended the bill, citing vague intentions to await "reforms" to court delays – an indefinite waiting game, given the dismal state of the courts.
Meet Jane, a woman in her late 50s, on crutches, battling a degenerative spine disease while navigating the intricacies of personal independence payment – a benefit notoriously challenging to obtain. Having called her residence home for nine years, where her grandchild was born, she now faces eviction on a section 21 notice. Despite consistently paying rent and personally managing repairs, she lives under the constant threat of losing her home. Frozen housing benefits for four years have created a monthly gap of £140, paid from her sickness benefits. Yet, her simple desire is to remain close to family, friends, and familiar streets.
Despite being on the council waiting list for eight years, Jane harbors little hope of securing alternative housing. The council's offer of a temporary B&B, owing to her illness, comes with the grim prospect of being miles away. The exorbitant local rental prices make finding a new private rental nearly impossible, and even when her deposit is returned after nine years, it proves inadequate amidst record rent increases.
As England grapples with a burgeoning crisis, promises lie shattered, leaving vulnerable tenants in the clutches of uncertainty, grappling with the harsh realities of eviction and homelessness during a season meant for warmth and celebration.
In the heart of housing distress, Shelter solicitor Kirsty Almond stands as a beacon of support for those facing eviction, providing advice, solace, and occasionally managing to delay the inevitable by uncovering errors in landlords' paperwork. However, the courtroom's constraints are severe; a landlord can evict with just two months' notice, a timeline that has already lapsed for individuals like Jane. Though granted an extra six weeks due to "exceptional hardship" tied to her health, the legal margin is slim.
The landlord, adamant in pursuit of court costs, met with a slight reduction to £481.75, courtesy of Shelter's efforts. Yet, the overwhelming backlog in Manchester's court lists has rendered it impossible for Shelter to cover all cases. This grim reality is mirrored across the country, leaving many without guidance, as duty solicitors are only obligatory in criminal courts.
For Shelter solicitor Kirsty Almond, who has dedicated 15 years to this critical work, the current rate of evictions and ensuing suffering represents an unprecedented crisis. Incomes no longer align with escalating rent and mortgage costs, leading to a staggering 40% increase in section 21 no-fault evictions in England over the past year. The anguish is palpable as tenants, including nurses and teachers, grapple with rents that outpace their wages, resorting to food banks for survival.
During a day spent with Almond, witnessing an astonishing throughput of 10 section 21 evictions an hour, the somber reality becomes starkly evident. Families, like the father with four children facing eviction from a cramped two-bedroom flat, are left with minimal recourse. Even in the face of mould and decay, the possibility of counter-suits seems doubtful. Rent hikes, some as exorbitant as £200 a month, push tenants to the brink, prompting heartbreaking stories of children displaced by section 21 orders, enduring multiple moves and enduring the challenges of commuting to distant schools.
As Keir Starmer highlights the plight of 140,000 homeless children this Christmas, and Chancellor Rishi Sunak dismisses it as "shameless opportunism," the urgency of the housing crisis intensifies. Michael Gove's relaxation of housebuilding targets further compounds the problem, with the Centre for Policy Studies even advocating for the construction of 500,000 new homes annually. In the face of this multifaceted crisis, the courts, like Manchester's, bear witness to a relentless wave of evictions, leaving tenants in despair and raising profound questions about the state of housing and policy in the country.
In the realm of political discourse, the focus often shifts towards the aspirations of first-time buyers, conveniently sidestepping the dire need for social housing. The legacy of Thatcher's right-to-buy scheme, which led to the sale of 2 million council homes since the 1980s, remains an unaddressed crisis. Astonishingly, the government impedes councils from utilizing the full proceeds of these sales to construct new council homes, exacerbating the shortage.
While nearly 80% of pensioners own their homes, the plight of individuals like Jane, constantly at risk of eviction in the precarious private rental market, is escalating. This trend is expected to intensify as the baton passes from the fortunate boomer generation to a younger cohort who may never realize the dream of homeownership. Families, raising their children in the precarious realm of private rentals, face the harsh reality of housing insecurity.
Despite political rhetoric, subsidies for first-time buyers serve to inflate property prices rather than addressing the core issue. The critical solution lies in establishing secure, lifelong social housing. Labour's housing shadow, Matthew Pennycook, criticizes the Tories for overseeing a net loss of 14,000 social homes annually since 2010. Labour's promise of 1.5 million more homes in its initial term, encompassing affordable and social housing, along with new towns, coupled with planning reforms to counter opposition, offers a vision for meaningful change.
The perpetual turnover of housing ministers within the Tory government, now at its 16th appointment in 13 years, underscores the lack of coherent policy and reluctance to implement necessary planning reforms. Shelter's grim prediction of 40,000 more homeless individuals in England this Christmas reflects the repercussions of such stagnation, with many passing through eviction courts like the one depicted, contributing to a 26% increase in rough sleeping.
As Shelter solicitor Kirsty Almond navigates the relentless tide of eviction cases, the daily tragedies harden her, but occasionally, a case pierces through, like that of an older woman in her 60s. This woman, who had run a local bar for years and always paid her rent, faced the statutory two weeks' notice with no assistance in relocating her stock or finding a place to go. Almond's heartache stems from the unavoidable cruelty of a system where she can only delay the inevitable for a brief moment. In the midst of political posturing, the human cost of the housing crisis remains stark, demanding urgent and substantive solutions.
As the housing crisis deepens, the disparity between political rhetoric and the stark reality faced by vulnerable individuals becomes increasingly evident. The prevailing focus on first-time buyers overlooks the pressing need for social housing, leaving a legacy of 2 million council homes sold off since the 1980s. The government's reluctance to allow councils to reinvest fully in new homes exacerbates the shortage, creating a dire situation that disproportionately affects those in precarious private rentals.
The escalating number of individuals facing eviction, like the poignant case of Jane, highlights the urgency for solutions beyond superficial policy posturing. While nearly 80% of pensioners own their homes, the rising wave of those vulnerable to eviction in the private rental market demands immediate attention, especially as a younger generation faces the bleak prospect of never owning a home.
Political debates often veer towards subsidies for first-time buyers, inadvertently driving up property prices rather than addressing the core issue. The resounding call for secure, lifelong social housing echoes through Labour's commitment to 1.5 million new homes, including affordable and social housing, coupled with crucial planning reforms.
The perpetually changing cast of housing ministers within the Tory government reflects a lack of coherent policy and a hesitancy to implement necessary planning reforms. The consequence is laid bare in Shelter's stark prediction of 40,000 more homeless individuals in England this Christmas, with eviction courts becoming gateways to an alarming 26% increase in rough sleeping.
In the heart of this crisis, Shelter solicitor Kirsty Almond grapples with daily tragedies, occasionally encountering cases that cut through the hardened exterior. The stories of families repeatedly displaced, children enduring temporary accommodations far from schools and relatives, and the struggles of older individuals like the woman running a local bar underscore the unseen tragedies behind the statistics.
As the human cost of the housing crisis unfolds, the conclusion is clear: urgent and substantive action is imperative. Beyond political posturing, a compassionate and effective approach is needed to address the immediate needs of those facing eviction and homelessness. The call for secure social housing must be met with tangible policy reforms, placing humanity at the center of the solution.