LANDLORDS across Barnsley sought to make more accelerated repossession claims after eviction orders were ignored in the three months to September.
A total of 28 claims were lodged by landlords, an increase on the year before when there were 24 - despite new measures being in place to protect tenants from being turfed out.
Landlords can apply for an accelerated possession order if tenants have not left by the date specified in so-called Section 21 notices.
It is seen as an often quicker route than applying for a standard possession order and there’s usually no court hearing.
A Section 21 order - which is set to be banned - currently allows landlords to evict tenants with just two months’ notice without providing a reason and, if it is ignored, a landlord can then apply for an accelerated repossession claim.
However, housing charity Shelter said no-fault evictions are a major reason for homelessness and urged the government to further strengthen their rights through the Renters’ Rights Bill.
Chief executive Polly Neate said: “With landlords allowed to hike up rents on a whim as a way of pricing current tenants out of their homes, renters will continue to live in fear even after Section 21 is scrapped.
“If the government wants the bill to be truly transformative, it must go further.
“Rent increases during tenancies must be capped in line with inflation or wage growth to make renting safer, secure and more affordable.”
A record number of people in Barnsley lost their homes due to a ‘no-fault’ repossession last year, latest figures have revealed, and a move to ban Section 21 notices have been outlawed.
At the time of the last Census, 19.1 per cent rented from a private landlord in Barnsley South, while 22.3 per cent rented from a social landlord.
In Barnsley North, the figures were 17.3 per cent and 19.6 per cent respectively, while Penistone and Stocksbridge’s were 10.7 per cent and 13.3 per cent.
Stephanie Peacock, MP for Barnsley South, has praised the introduction of the Renters’ Rights Bill.
She said: “Almost one in five households in Barnsley South rents privately.
“I know these people have been let down for far too long with many stuck in disgraceful conditions, powerless to act because of the threat of a retaliatory eviction hanging over them.
“It’s great to see the Renters’ Rights Bill introduced to Parliament, which will strengthen protections such as ending no-fault evictions.”
Average rent costs in Barnsley rose ten per cent over the past year, new figures show.
Provisional figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) show the average private rent in Barnsley reached £621 per month in the year to October - up from £567 a year prior.
It was also up 30 per cent from an estimated £479 a month five years ago.
A spokesperson for the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government said the bill will give tenants greater stability, so they can stay in their homes for longer.
They added: “We have inherited the worst housing crisis in living memory with millions of renters living in constant fear of Section 21 evictions.
“That is why we are bringing forward our Renters’ Rights Bill to abolish these evictions immediately and rightly empower tenants to challenge unfair rent increases and poor conditions in their homes.”
