RENTERS are being slapped with an average upfront cost of £2,216 for moving house following eviction, new research revealed yesterday.
Calculated by Generation Rent, the unjust expenses stem from lost deposits, overlapping rent, cleaning and removals — all costs that can push renters into poverty, homelessness or debt.
The research was published as the Renters’ Rights Bill reached its Second Reading in the Commons.
The legislation will ban Section 21 notices, which allow landlords to kick out tenants for no reason with just two months’ notice.
But it will introduce new eviction grounds for when a landlord is selling a property or moving back in themselves, which campaigners fear could be used as a “backdoor” alternative to a section 21 notice.
The Renters’ Reform Coalition, which consists of groups such as homeless charity Shelter and London Renters Union, are now calling on the government to introduce two months’ rent compensation for tenants evicted under these grounds.
They argue this would reduce the risk of homelessness, and prevent landlords abusing new eviction rules.
In Scotland, research from RentBetter found that for one in five renters evicted by a landlord claiming they wanted to sell, the property was never sold.
Generation Rent pointed out that the average rent in England is £1,327, so two months’ compensation would cover the extra costs incurred from moving.
Among other proposals to the Bill, campaigners have suggested introducing rent stabilisation, the right to pause rent payments in cases of unaddressed disrepair, and the strengthening of penalties for landlords who evict tenants illegally.
Generation Rent chief executive Ben Twomey said: “£2,216 is an astonishing amount of money to have to stump up for a move you didn’t choose to make.
“Along with the inconvenience of being uprooted and having to find a new home, you can play by the rules but still rack up thousands of pounds of debt when the landlord decides to kick you out.
“The government must use the opportunity of the Renters’ Rights Bill to compensate evicted renters by making landlords waive the last two months’ rent, so we have the breathing space to make the savings we need to keep a roof over our heads.”
