The government says the number of households facing possible homelessness after a Section 21 eviction has fallen 50 per cent in the past year. 

Data from the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government shows 1,920 households receiving assistance between October and December 2020 after being served with a Section 21; this represents just under seven per cent of all households needing help to prevent them from becoming homeless, and is a 49.9 per cent fall from the same three months in 2019.

MHCLG says the fall is down to the long-standing eviction bans; currently this takes the form of a ban on bailiff enforcement activity, and the extension of notice periods.

Overall, 62,250 households were assessed as homeless or at risk of becoming so and needing help in October to December, down 9.2 per cent from the same quarter in 2019.

Of these, 33,990 were assessed as being homeless.