What's the problem?

Right now families in rented homes can be kicked out with just two months' notice - without any valid reason. Some end up sharing a single room in temporary accommodation while others have to move miles away from their children's schools. It’s unfair - and it's perfectly legal.

What is supposed to happen?

Section 21 lets landlords evict tenants without proving why they need to in court. It was designed in 1988 to make it easier for amateurs to become landlords because they could easily take back their properties to sell or move back in. But now millions of us are renting, 'no fault' evictions are denying us the certainty of a long term home, and are fuelling homelessness. In 2018-19, 28,000 households faced homelessness as a result of a 'no-fault' eviction.

Unscrupulous landlords use section 21 to bully tenants. You might ask your landlord to fix some disrepair in the house and are suddenly issued with a section 21 and asked to leave. In theory, local councils should be able to protect tenants from these 'revenge evictions'. But in reality, council cutbacks mean section 21s are hard to prevent.

What do we want?

We are calling for an end to section 21, giving tenants better security and allowing them to call a house a home. We also need limits on rent increases so landlords can't use an unaffordable rent rise to force us out instead.

We think it’s fair that if a landlord wants to take back a property, they should have to prove that they are truly moving back in or selling, and not just putting the property back on the market. Landlords should also pay any displaced tenants relocation costs, to help them move into a new property.

Generation Rent is campaigning for an end to section 21 as part of the End Unfair Evictions coalition. We are proud to work with London Renters Union, ACORN, Tenants Union UK and the New Economics Foundation.

Read more about our work on security of tenure on the blog