Tonight's BBC Panorama to investigate controversial S...

Tonight's edition of BBC Panorama will investigate the Section 21 evictions process, also known as 'no-fault evictions'.

The show - 'Evicted for No Reason' - will focus on whether tenants need more protection from the evictions process.

A Section 21 Notice allows landlords to regain possession of their property at the end of a fixed term or during a periodic tenancy.

It is estimated that the number of Section 21 evictions has trebled in the last eight years.

The investigation is led by journalist Richard Bilton, who meets tenants who have been evicted via Section 21, as well as landlords who feel 'no fault' evictions are their only option to regain possession of their property.

Landlord eviction specialist Paul Shamplina, founder of Landlord Action, was interviewed by Panorama as part of the show's investigation.

"I felt a necessity to present the landlords’ side on why so many use no-fault Section 21," he says.

"The term ‘no fault’ is really a bit of a red herring. There is always a reason why a landlord ends a tenancy, but it’s a far cry from the headlines showing that landlords use it just to throw tenants out."

"If a landlord has a good tenant, the last thing they want to do is get rid of them," Shamplina explains.

"However, in our experience, the main reasons for serving Section 21 notices are for rent arrears, tenants requesting to be evicted so they can be re-housed or, most recently, because landlords wish to sell their property owing to impending tax liabilities.”

Recently introduced changes to the tenancy system in Scotland have outlawed the practice of Section 21 evictions north of the border and Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn has pledged to ban no-fault evictions in the Labour Party's next manifesto.

Shamplina says, however, that scrapping Section 21 in England would exacerbate the housing crisis.

Panorama airs tonight on BBC One at 20:30.