Renting in the private sector offers precious little security. The landlord has the power to evict a tenant with two months’ notice. No reason has to be given. These ‘section 21’ evictions are the number one cause of homelessness in England and Wales.
No-Fault Evictions
Under Section 21 of the Housing Act 1988, landlords can evict a tenant from a property without giving a reason. This power has encouraged landlords to treat property as an easy investment, letting disposable tenants pay the mortgage while they wait for house prices to rise, and then evicting the tenants and selling the house.
“Intentionally” Homeless
Because these section 21 evictions are still evictions, there have been cases where local authorities have claimed that the tenants made themselves intentionally homeless – meaning the evictee doesn’t qualify for emergency accommodation from the Council. Tenants finding themselves in such a situation rely on the kindnesses of others (friends, family, charity) to provide a temporary roof over their heads. You can see how easy it might be to wind up sleeping rough.
The Kanndoo Project
If you would like to know more about the Kanndoo project, please get in touch. You can start by downloading one of our apps. They are fun, useful, and the proceeds go to helping those in need.
Follow us on Twitter to stay up-to-date with how our project is progressing.
Read more about unfair evictions on the Generation Rent website.
