Tenant evictions have reached a record high 11,307 in the first quarter of the year according to government figures.
However, the majority of renters facing eviction are reported by the Ministry of Justice to be social rather than private renters.
MoJ data shows 11,307 renting households in England and Wales were evicted in the first three months – up 8% on a year earlier and the highest number recorded in a single quarter since records began in 2000.
Homeless charity Shelter describes the news as “a glaring reminder that sky high housing costs and welfare cuts are leaving thousands of people battling to keep a roof over their heads.”
Campbell Robb, Shelter’s chief executive, said: “Every day we see the devastating impact of a housing market at boiling point, with the cost of renting so high that many families are living in fear that just one thing like losing their job or becoming ill could leave them with the bailiffs knocking at the door."
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As always, Shelter putting their own angle on things. How many of the evictions are down to tenants CHOOSING not to pay their rents because they put more value on cigarettes, alcohol, Sky TV and so forth. Most landlords I know try and work with tenants when they're in arrears. Shelter's comment re a tenant losing their job is completely ridiculous as they could then claim housing benefit, if they can be bothered to that is.
I disagree with you in the strongest terms. Yes, Shelter have an agenda to push and have been known to exaggerate things in the past. But are you honestly saying that all of those 11,307 people spent all their rent money on fags, booze and Sky TV. You seem to have bought into this strivers vs skivers lie, where everyone who is poor is a workshy scrounger. It's such a load of old cobblers it's not even true.
These stats are shocking and should be treated as such. In some cases there will be justifiable reasons, but in many cases there won't be. It's this defensive, closed ranks mentality some landlords seem to have that gives them such a bad name.
Surely, MrInvestor, you understand the difficulties and complexities involved when it comes to buying and then letting a home. It's not as simple as landlords = evil, unscrupulous monsters; tenants = poor, exploited little angels. Your simplistic analysis does you no favours.
I am with you on this John as I see it first hand every day. Its all to easy not to pay the landlord when higher up the list of priorities is booze, fags, Satellite TV etc. Landlord too often gets the raw end of the deal and is painted out to be rolling in it.
Every day? I don't believe you.
And even if it is the case in a small number of cases, are 11,307 people guilty of not paying their rent because they're too busy getting wasted and watching United v Arsenal on the TV. Of course they're not.
While it's wrong to paint all tenants as innocents in this, it's equally ridiculous for people BTL to try and paint landlords as the victims in all this.
It's things like this that are causing divisions in our society. How do you know there aren't other reasons for people being unable to pay the rent - zero-hours contracts, low-wage jobs, benefits being cut - besides booze, fags and Sky TV? How do you know that is the reason?
Choose not to believe me if you like, thats your choice. But let me clarify, yes everyday.
There are and will be people who genuinely struggle, but for alot and in my opinion would say most a landlord being paid is below booze, fags and TV in the list of priorities.
As I say, just my opinion...
"the majority of renters facing eviction are reported by the Ministry of Justice to be social rather than private renters."
Wow! Didn't see that coming.
Would that have something to do with the brilliant initiative to "teach" tenants to "budget" by paying the rent directly into their accounts instead of directly to the landlord then?
Of course not. What am I thinking? It's those horrible, greedy landlords again.
Silly me.
@ m Goe - you're assuming that all these people were evicted because they couldn't pay their rent. That's a fairly big assumption to make, don't you think? There are other reasons for evictions, you know.
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