Evictions on Rise As Landlords Toughen Up

Social landlords are increasingly taking eviction action against tenants to protect their rental income in the face of rising living costs and welfare reform. An exclusive Inside Housing survey of 167 social landlords across Britain reveals the extent to which landlords are now resorting to tougher measures to ensure rent is collected. Social landlords issued an extra 42,905 notices seeking possession to tenants for rent arrears in 2013/14 compared with the previous year, a jump of 21.9 per cent to 239,381. Among the 25 housing associations to take part in the survey, the increase was higher at 30.9 per cent, while the figure for 142 councils or arm’s-length management organisations was 19.1 per cent. Evictions for rent arrears also jumped 12.9 per cent to 7,131 with an extra 814 households evicted in 2013/14 compared to 2012/13. Read more on Inside Housing.