The Co-Op Bank, which is leading a campaign alongside charity Shelter, claims a Section 21 notice is presented to an older private renter every 16 minutes.

The bank has funded research commissioned by Shelter which claims that 28 per cent of private tenants over the age of 55 – which equates to 400,000 people – “live in fear of being evicted by their landlord.”

And the bank says a third of all private renters say, the last time they moved, it took them longer than the statutory two months notice period to find a new privately rented home.

Now that Parliament is back from its summer break, the Bank and Shelter are warning that what they call “delays” to the Renters Reform Bill are harming the health of thousands of older tenants. 

The research apparently shows that 25 per cent of renters aged over 55 say worrying about eviction is negatively impacting their mental or physical health, while a similar number one in four claim housing problems or worries had made them feel physically sick in the past year.  

The two campaigning organisations say 19 per cent of adult private renters in England are over 55 – this up by 31 per cent in the past decade. 

Nick Slape, Chief Executive Officer at The Co-operative Bank, says: “Fighting inequality across the UK is extremely important to our customers, and that’s why we’re campaigning for better rights for renters alongside Shelter. 

“We know the private rented system in this country needs urgent reform and this new research shows just how desperate the situation has become. 

“Together with our partner Shelter we are calling on the government to prioritise the Renters Reform Bill now, to protect tenants across the country and deliver lasting change.”

And Polly Neate, Chief Executive of Shelter, adds: “Older renters may already be retired or planning for retirement at this point in their lives. They shouldn’t have knots in their stomachs, constantly afraid that their landlord is going to kick them out of their home for no reason. 

“We hear from hundreds of over-55s who have worked for decades in search of safety and security later in life. It’s a disgrace that so many are being stripped of a stable home by the gross injustice of Section 21 no-fault evictions.  

“Instead of forcing older renters to pay over the odds for often shoddy rentals that leave them sick with worry, the government must keep its word, and get the Renters Reform Bill over the line. Tenants are tired of waiting for a system that makes private renting safe and fair for all.”