Eviction ban not part of government plans to counter homelessness

The prospect of a long-term eviction ban appears to have been lifted in one part of the UK.

The Welsh Government is consulting on what are described as ”potentially world-leading reforms” that propose new legal duties for a range of bodies, all in a bid to sharply reduce homelessness.

Currently over 11,000 people are in temporary accommodation in Wales, including 996 dependent children under 16 in bed and breakfast accommodation and in hotels.

A Welsh Government White Paper - based on an Expert Review Panel of 300 experts, facilitated by campaigning charity Crisis - suggests that eviction rates in the Welsh private rented sector was 94 per cent higher post-pandemic than in early 2019.

A summary of the White Paper produced by letting agents’ trade body Propertymark says: “Whilst making clear that evictions of all kinds can have serious repercussions for tenants, the Expert Panel noted that there is a lack of detailed data. They also believe that the number of ‘at fault’ evictions – such as those due to anti-social behaviour, rent arrears or substance abuse - could be significantly reduced by addressing tenants’ unmet support needs.

“The Welsh Government agreed to maintain a watching brief on the implementation of new legislation around no-fault evictions in Scotland and England. However, a key recommendation from the report that has not been included in the White Paper is a new duty for private landlords to give notice to the local housing authority when they intend to bring forward a possession claim under any section of the Renting Homes (Wales) Act 2016.”

The Renting Homes (Wales) Act 2016 aims to improve the security of tenure in the private rental sector by increasing the notice period required for no-fault evictions to six months, and seeks to protect tenants from being evicted because of complaining about poor conditions.

A separate White Paper on this area is expected in early 2024.