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Eviction is major cause of homelessness - Shelter claim

Shelter has again linked private rental evictions to the rising levels of homelessness.

The campaigning charity says government figures released show 74,230 households in England became homeless or were at imminent risk of becoming homeless between January and March 2022 – including 25,610 families with children. 

This represents an 11 per cent rise in three months, and a five per cent rise on the same period last year.

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Shelter is calling for the government to intervene to prevent a steep rise in homelessness as renters struggle with the highest private rents on record alongside rocketing household bills.

Shelter says the government data shows 25 per cent households were found to be homeless or at risk of becoming homeless because of the loss of a private tenancy (18,210 households). 

This has increased by 94 per cent in a year and is the second leading trigger of homelessness in England.

Polly Neate, chief executive of Shelter, says: “Too many people are losing the battle to keep a roof over their heads – struggling to pay rent and put food in their mouths. With homelessness on the rise whoever becomes the next Prime Minister needs to get a grip on this crisis, and fast.

“The housing emergency was already tipping thousands of people into homelessness before the cost of living crisis took hold. Now record-high rents, and crippling food and fuel bills risk sending even more people over the edge – including people who are working every hour they can. 

“Our frontline services hear from families every day who’ve got nothing left to cut back on.

“High housing costs are a major part of the cost of living crisis, but they are being ignored. 

“To pull struggling renters back from the brink of homelessness, the new Prime Minister must unfreeze housing benefit so people can afford their rent. But to end homelessness for good, building decent social homes with rents pegged to local incomes is the only answer.”

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    Why all the evictions ? could it be the back log of tenants who thought they didn't have to pay throughout the pandemic ? sounds very likely to me, would I be far wrong if I were to say that 90% of evictions are because of non payment of rent ?

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    Well as a landlord of 42 properties for 30 years thats the only reason I've needed to take to the courts since 2013. I've historically done very few evictions when you consider thecsize and yrars.

    My latest eviction involved a woman who just refused to pay or communicate during the pandemic as she knew there was nothing I could do.

    Finally in court last week where she owed 35 months of rent and the judge ruled in my favour obviously

    I got a call from the homeless officer at the council she later presented to to clarify the facts from me. The officer said she had never seen a case so bad and there was no way they were rehousing her.

    Do the do-gooders take account of these massive losses when spouting homeless figures and the inability of to service their portfolio as they would like when the money isn't coming in and spouting lower standards than they'd like?

     
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    In my case it is because of the raft of new regulations and additional costs placed on landlords over the last few years, due to pressure from organisations like Shelter, who have never housed anyone, encouraging governments and councils to make life harder and harder for genuine landlords. The last straw for me is the new contracts we are being forced into by Rent Smart Wales. I sold 2 properties last year, 1 so far this year and removing tenants from 2 properties before these new contracts arrive and sellin those as well. So far all sold to first time buyers. Congragulations Shelter, you should be more careful what you wish for.

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    I'm with you (apart from the wales thing). Gradually selling my portfolio bit by bit as time goes on after 30 years in business. Can't be doing with the ever moving goal posts, the villianisation of responsible landlords, the degrading of our already low rights and punitive taxation. I've been doing it as houses become empty but now am looking at eviction to sell. I am so sorry for all my good tenants who will suffer but I've had enough

     
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    My tenants are 2 months in arrears. Endless complaints despite their low rent that hasn’t increased in 3 years. They can’t afford more.

    On top was £600 to defend false no win no fee claims, £1,000 Council licence, S24.

    I only read half the white paper and stopped half way. I really only continued that far for the horror of the entertainment value. I’m not doing it.

    I’m doing my S21 today.

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    Stick a '' money claim online'' into them as well, dead easy to do and cheap, you have 6 yrs to get your money, these peoples finances often change, better job, new car in the drive, revenge is sweet when the bailiffs go knocking 4 yrs down the road after they have forgotten all about that money they owe you

     
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    That's my plan Andrew. Is to just wait. She has nothing at the moment. So I will hit them later.

     
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    Shelter's lobbying is behind much of the policy that has forced LLs out of the PRS and pushed rents higher, so actually Shelter is a major cause of homelessness!

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    Shelter is a major cause of homelessness by demanding the abolition of Section 21. There should be an absolute right to issue fixed term contracts which end, without needing to give any reason at all for their ending other than expiry of the fixed term.

    The arrangement can, of course, continue if all are in agreement. It is appalling to dispense with the need for the landlord's agreement in this.

    The Welsh legislation does allow no fault ending of tenancies - the peirod has switched from two to six months though. I could live with that. This is what it says on the website about their new law:

    TENANTS

    Under the new law, tenants and licencees will become 'contract-holders'. Tenancy agreements will be replaced with 'occupation contracts'.

    The new law will make renting easier and provide greater security.

    For contract-holders this will mean:

    receiving a written contract setting out your rights and responsibilities

    an increase in the ‘no fault’ notice period from two to six months

    greater protection from eviction

    improved succession rights, these set out who has a right to continue to live in a dwelling, for example after the current tenant dies

    more flexible arrangements for joint contract-holders, making it easier to add or remove others to an occupation contract

    LANDLORDS

    For landlords this will mean:

    A simpler system, with two types of contract: ‘Secure’ for the social rented sector and ‘Standard’ for the private rented sector.

    Ensuring homes are fit for human habitation (FFHH). This will include, electrical safety testing and ensuring working smoke alarms and carbon monoxide detectors are fitted.

    Abandoned properties can be repossesed without needing a court order.

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    With the LHA rate frozen at such a low level how does anyone expect low income families to pay the going rate? This one can be firmly blamed on Sunak.
    It's been recognised for years that the methodology behind the LHA is seriously flawed. Freezing the limit was obviously going to cause huge affordability problems for low paid workers.
    The LHA was supposed to be set at the 30th percentile rent for each size of property in each rental area. Some of the areas were geographically far too big (over 500 square miles) and have always had issues with the only housing at LHA rent being over 25 miles from the main employment areas. Should someone pay £100+ a month from other money to top up their rent and live somewhere convenient or should they pay £100+ a month to sit on a bus for hours every week so they can live in a cheaper house? Either way that £100+ a month was money that should have been available for food or heating.

    Another problem is how the 30th percentile figure is derived. A tenancy agreement is a private agreement between 2 private parties. How much data is the LHA figure based on and how skewed is it? Clearly there is far more access to rent figures paid by people in receipt of benefit top ups. It doesn't just include available properties or new tenancies signed up in the last 6 months. It encompasses some very historic rents which pull the figure down far lower than it should be. Thousands of landlords don't routinely increase rent for long term tenants. Although in some respects that's very nice for those tenants it can cause unintended problems. It keeps the LHA figure artificially low making it much harder to find available properties anywhere close to LHA rent. When a rent increase does eventually become necessary it's likely to be big. Then we see headlines about greedy landlords inflicting inflation busting rent increases on poor exploited hard working tenants. No mention of the whopping savings the tenant has made over the years by not having regular rent increases.

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    The problem as I see it is that increasing LHA pushes all rents up. After the freeze on LHA the sudden 'catch up' increase due to covid saw all rents shoot up and I believe this was mainly due to the LHA increase. Its a vicious circle. What we really need is more social & affordable housing not a bigger LHA bill.

     
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    From a business perspective it doesn't make sense to accept LHA tenants. Time to change the business model or just pull out of it completely and invest in something else instead.

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    It hasn't made any sense to rent to tenants on LHA for a long time

     
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    More complete nonsense from our Polly. Totally doesn't get cause and effect. It's a bit like saying being fired from jobs are a major cause of unemployment! We've had years now of government, Shelter etc all ignoring the causes behind the crisis in the PRS. Section 21s are not the cause of homelessness you fools, they are the result of the real causes which all landlords are more than familiar with so I won't list them here. Deal with the causes you idiots and the effects (section 21s, landlords bailing out etc) will reduce, resulting in less homelessness! Blindingly obvious but not to these idiots. Mind you, as I've said before, Polly and her merry bunch of fellow travellers thrive on misery, so maybe it's actually in their interests to crank up the misery factor to justify their six figure salaries

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    Grumpy Dog, absolutely spot on.

     
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    Polly is out of touch Any claim for possession for rent arrears will almost certainly be met with Breathing Space . Also anyone attempting to gain possession faces the risk of the Tenant being able to live in your property rent free for ever . There is no obligation to pay ongoing liabilities to Landlords if they manage to get mental health breathing space. I am not sure how this is actually working in Practice but it is over a year now so far there are no information on the results.

  • George Dawes

    In other news water is wet

    This lot certainly earn their ridiculous salaries

    /s

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    Just no end to the attack on Private landlords now I see ‘How 2 Rent guide’ has increased to 48 pages. I believe it has changed 15 times and the crap increased each time since 2015 having been introduced originally in 2014 by Shelter. The new version includes mandatory Redress Scheme, what on Earth for ?, I don’t take Deposits since they made it a liability not a protection imagine give them back 3 Deposits along with the Deposit making it 4 Deposits. Further we are not allowed to charge the Tenants any fees for anything more or less, so what will we be Redressing them for ? unless it’s the Rent they didn’t pay, its utter nonsense who is going to Redress us ?.

  • jeremy clarke

    Has Polly and her bunch of landlord haters just come back from another magic numbers course?
    Where in those numbers does it say that the evictions were exclusively PRS? It doesn't therefore the numbers are meaningless as they must also include social housing! I attended a possession last month, first for 15 years and the list on the waiting room wall in the court was mainly social housing landlords seeking possession.
    At what stage will Polly and the rest of them stand up and admit that it is because of their continuous interference in The PRS that landlords are leaving, rents are rising and property supply is diminishing rapidly?

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    Surely Polly is not complaining about a reduction in the private rented Sector that she was the main mover in creating.
    Polly is well placed to help the homeless, for a start she could take a Salary cut of £100k pa and still paid too much, she only started on £126k pa years ago when she took over from Campbell Robb, then use some of their tax free £60m pot to house people instead of shouting and bellyaching about us.

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