TENANTS’ campaigners are claiming a “huge win” after the government has announced plans to abolish a legal loophole which charities believe has led to thousands of “revenge evictions.”

The government has said that it will begin consulting Tory MPs to consider repealing Section 21 of the 1988 Housing Act, and to introduce open-ended tenancies for private renters.

The legal notice has been widely criticised for giving landlords the legal power to evict tenants without offering a valid reason.

The homeless charity Shelter has previously estimated that over 140,000 people have been the victims of these “revenge evictions,” and have said that the loophole is the “leading cause” of homelessness in England.

A petition for the campaign gained 50,000 signatures in over two months, while the End Unfair Evictions Coalition – a group which involved tenants’ groups Acorn and Tenants Union UK, as well as the New Economics Foundation – campaigned with tenants for a change in the law.

The campaign gained the national support of Labour, as well as influential local bodies such as the administration of Labour’s Paul Dennett in Salford.

Labour shadow housing secretary John Healey, who has been a longstanding opponent of Section 21, said: “Any promise of new help for renters is good news but this latest pledge won’t work if landlords can still force tenants out by hiking the rent.

“For nine years, the Tories have failed to tackle problems facing private renters.

“Tenants need new rights and protections across the board to end costly rent increases and sub-standard homes as well as to stop unfair evictions.”

“Labour is committed to giving renters the rights they deserve, including control on rents, indefinite tenancies and new legal minimum standards.”

Acorn national organiser Nick Ballard said: “This was not a gift from a benevolent government.

“The collective strength of organised tenants forced them into this concession.

“Door-by-door and street-by-street, our members put themselves in the way of landlords and bailiffs, physically preventing evictions.

“This is a huge win but there’s more to come.

“Next are rent controls to ensure that housing becomes a social and human right and not an asset generating profits for a few.

“Solidarity is strength. We know what we’re entitled to and we’re taking what’s ours.”