Made possible by Section 21 of the Housing Act 1988, no fault evictions see tenants evicted from their homes without any reason given by the landlord for doing so. In 2024, the number of households evicted from their home by this process increased by 20% compared to the previous year. According to the Ministry of Justice, almost 3,000 households were evicted by bailiffs after receiving a Section 21 notice between October and December 2024. These evictions are not only upsetting for tenants, but they can also lead to a variety of issues.
To find out more about no fault evictions in the UK, we leveraged AI-driven audience profiling to synthesise insights from online opinions to a high statistical confidence level. The results of this profiling gave us insight into the stances of 484,410 tenants in the UK for 12 months ending 17 March 2025. Here’s what we found.
Index
- 100% of UK tenants faced legal disputes related to their eviction
- 25% of UK tenants' evictions significantly impacted their ability to find new housing
- 88% of our audience said their landlord did not follow all legal requirements for a no fault eviction
- 88% of UK tenants struggled to access legal aid or free legal advice during eviction
- 46% UK tenants wanted legal support earlier in their no fault eviction process
- 54% of UK tenants received support with finding helpful housing options
- 25% of UK tenants would advise other tenants facing a no fault eviction to know and understand their rights
- 30% of our audience agree tenants facing no fault evictions should receive more legal aid
- 76% UK tenants sought legal aid when looking for alternative housing
- 80% of UK tenants did not understand their legal rights at the time of eviction
- 49% said their legal rights were their biggest concern during the eviction process
- 71% of our audience are Londoners
- About the Data
Did You Face Any Legal Disputes Related To Your Eviction?
100% of UK tenants faced legal disputes related to their eviction
As our entire audience of 484,410 UK tenants found out, legal disputes are often part and parcel of no-fault evictions:
Many renters who receive Section 21 eviction notices informing them that their landlords are evicting them without providing any reason find themselves facing legal disputes. In our audience’s case, every single one of the 484,410 faced legal disputes.
Understandably, few tenants are happy to comply with a Section 21 notice, which effectively comes down to eviction at the whim of a landlord, and this is something that is happening at an alarming rate in the UK. According to Big Issue, the number of households forced out after receiving a no fault eviction rose from 9,457 in 2023 to 11,373 in 2024. The Guardian reported that, in the six years since Theresa May promised to put an end to no fault evictions, 39,981 households have lost their home after being evicted through the courts. Shockingly, 30,230 landlords instituted no fault eviction court proceedings in 2023 alone, representing a 28% rise from 2022’s numbers.
Did Your Eviction Impact Your Ability To Find New Housing? If So, How?
25% of UK tenants’ evictions significantly impacted their ability to find new housing
No fault evictions can affect UK citizens in various ways:
The majority of UK tenants who were victims of no fault evictions were affected in various ways. For a quarter (25%) of our audience, their evictions significantly impact their ability to find new housing. In comparison, 19% said their difficulty in finding housing after being evicted was due to availability. This is understandable, as according to the Guardian, 22,023 social homes were sold or demolished in England in 2023, while only 9,561 were built. More than 180,000 were lost in the decade before 2024. There were 1.28 million English households on council waiting lists for a social home in 2023.
For 15% of our audience, receiving no fault evictions significantly impacted housing affordability, while 11% said their references were impacted negatively.
Almost a tenth of our audience (9%) said they experienced instability, 9% said their eviction had a negative impact on their credit, and 6% said the process was difficult despite the assistance they received. However, the aftermath of no fault evictions wasn’t bad for everyone in our audience. 2% said they weren’t impacted significantly, while another 2% said that being evicted didn’t affect their ability to find new housing at all. For 1%, a no fault eviction did not affect their costs, and for another 1%, their evictions did not affect their references.
Landlords have been using these notices to exit the market over recent years in view of this government’s RRB and to some extent the preceding governments plans that were announced several years ago. It is worth mentioning, however, that most landlords do not want to use a s21 notice if their tenant is good and paying the rent. Why would they?
Did Your Landlord Follow All Legal Requirements For A No Fault Eviction?
88% of our audience said their landlord did not follow all legal requirements for a no fault eviction
The majority of our audience faced no fault evictions in which landlords did not follow all legal requirements:
A shocking 88% of our audience of tenants in the UK said their landlords did not follow all legal requirements for no fault evictions. The legal requirements vary depending on where tenants are in the UK. For example, in England, landlords cannot issue a no fault eviction within the first four months of a tenancy, and when they do, they need to give tenants at least two months’ notice. Landlords also must protect tenants’ deposits in a government-approved scheme and ensure that tenants receive important documents such as the property’s Energy Performance Certificate.
Landlords not obeying the law or fulfilling its requirements is not new. Research published by Shelter in 2021 revealed that 45% of private renters have been victims of illegal acts by their landlords or letting agents. That said, 12% of our audience said their landlords followed all legal requirements for no fault evictions.
The level of compliance for landlords to serve a s21 notice is vast and can easily trip a landlord up. Many landlords do not appreciate the extent of technical arguments that are now raised, in many cases successfully, to try and prevent a landlord relying on this notice.
How Easy Or Difficult Was It To Access Legal Aid Or Free Legal Advice During Your Eviction Process?
88% of UK tenants struggled to access legal aid or free legal advice during eviction
While legal aid and free legal advice are available for tenants in the UK, accessing it isn’t always easy:
At 87%, the overwhelming majority of our audience said that accessing legal aid or free legal advice during their no fault eviction process was difficult. In theory, the process of accessing legal aid or advice should be relatively easy.
However, 12.45 million people in England and Wales live in what LexisNexis termed a “housing legal aid desert.” Approximately 18% of the population does not have the legal aid access they need for housing-related cases, regardless of how urgent or severe those cases are. In the “housing legal aid deserts,” those in the bottom 10% had zero clinics per 1,000 incidents.
The five best-served local authorities had an average of 1.74 clinics per 1,000 incidents. The five regions with the most “deserts” include East of England, South East, South West, East Midlands, and West Midlands. 13% of our UK tenant audience said they found it easy to access legal aid or free legal advice.
There is less and less legal aid and free advice available for tenants and it does depend on your postcode.
If You Could Go Through This Process Again What Legal Support Or Guidance Would You Have Wanted Earlier?
46% UK tenants wanted legal support earlier in their no fault eviction process
The graph below outlines what legal support or guidance our audience of UK tenants would have wanted earlier if they went through a no fault eviction process again:
Not all UK tenants whose social media responses we analysed would approach things in the same way if they could go through the no fault eviction process again. 46% said they would seek legal support, while 43% would seek legal advice. Echoing their responses, 7% said they would want legal representation earlier in the process. The remaining 4% of our audience would seek support from advocacy groups.
Several charities, advocacy groups, and other institutions exist to help people facing housing crises in the UK. For example, Shelter provides advice, advocacy, information, and representation, while Citizens Advice and LawWorks offer free confidential advice. The Housing Ombudsman addresses complaints about the way no fault evictions are handled.
If You Sought Legal Advice What Type Of Support Did You Receive?
54% of UK tenants received support with finding helpful housing options
Tenants who sought legal advice during their no fault eviction process received different kinds of support:
Legal aid services and advocacy groups provide different types of support to tenants facing no fault eviction in the UK. At 54%, slightly more than half of our audience said they received helpful support regarding housing options, while 32% said they received helpful advice about tenant rights. 7% commended the legal representation they received, describing it as excellent.
5% of UK tenants who sought legal advice said the paperwork assistance they received was helpful. 1% of our audience said they received helpful financial guidance from legal aid, while another 1% received helpful support with negotiations.
What Advice Would You Give To Other Tenants Facing A No Fault Eviction?
25% of UK tenants would advise other tenants facing a no fault eviction to know and understand their rights
The advice that our audience would give to other tenants facing a no fault eviction is based on their own experiences with this process:
If our audience of tenants in the UK had to give advice to other tenants facing a no fault eviction, a quarter (25%) said they would advise those tenants to know their rights. At 24%, another sizeable portion of our audience said they would encourage them to seek legal advice. 22% said they would tell tenants facing no fault eviction to stay informed, while 15% said they would advise them to document everything. 14% said they would encourage them to join a union.
There are several renters’ unions that tenants in the UK can join for support. Notable examples of these include ACORN, London Renters Union, and Greater Manchester Tenants Union. The London Renters Union represents approximately 7,000 renters in London, of whom approximately 75% are private renters.
It is also worth noting for tenants that generally there is a law firm versed in housing law attached to every county court. Often that law firm will have a housing desk advisor in court on days where possession claims are being considered.
What Legal Protections Do You Think Should Be Improved For Tenants Facing No Fault Evictions?
30% of our audience agree tenants facing no fault evictions should receive more legal aid
The following graph reveals what legal protections our audience thinks should be improved for tenants facing no fault evictions in the UK:
Given the lack of easily accessible legal aid and legal advice we mentioned above, it’s not surprising that 30% of our audience thinks that tenants faced with no fault evictions should receive more legal aid. 26% said they think that the clarity of communication with tenants could be improved, while 20% would like to see better transparency.
16% think that tenants should receive longer notice periods. It’s worth noting here that no fault eviction notice periods vary from region to region. In England, landlords need to give tenants at least two months’ notice, but in Wales, the notice period increases to six months, depending on the type of rental contract. 8% think that tenant rights could be upheld better. Only less than one percent said that access to housing support could be improved.
At What Stage Did You Seek Legal Advice Regarding Your Eviction?
76% UK tenants sought legal aid when looking for alternative housing
Not all tenants seek legal advice when they first receive a Section 21 no fault eviction notice:
76% of UK tenants we surveyed said they sought legal advice when they started looking for alternative housing, while 18% said they did so after being served eviction papers. 4% approached legal aid or other sources for legal advice during the eviction process. A minority of 1% said they sought legal advice after they received a no fault eviction notice.
Generally tenants resign themselves to moving out when the s21 notice lands, but this can cause the most stress as it can be extremely difficult to find alternative accommodation.
Did You Understand Your Legal Rights As A Tenant At The Time Of Eviction?
80% of UK tenants did not understand their legal rights at the time of eviction
Few tenants understood their rights when they were evicted:
Considering the responses of our audience, it’s clear that renter education in the UK needs to be improved. A whopping 80% of the tenants we surveyed said they did not understand their legal rights at the time they went through the no fault eviction process, compared to the 20% who said they did understand their rights.
It is very much a landlord’s market. Let’s not forget that many renters have no choice but to rent and do not therefore always try to understand their rights – they have to rent.
What Was Your Biggest Concern During The Eviction Process?
49% said their legal rights were their biggest concern during the eviction process
Our audience had a number of concerns during the eviction process:
Almost half (49%) of our audience said their legal rights were their biggest concern during the eviction process. The rest of these UK tenants had significantly different concerns. 18% said they were most concerned about finding housing. An Inside Housing survey revealed that it took 34% of tenants facing no fault eviction longer than two months to find a new home, putting them at risk of homelessness.
Time constraints were what mostly concerned 16% of our audience. 13% said their greatest concern was financial stability. It’s worth mentioning that, according to Shelter, 60,000 tenants were forced to move due to rent hikes often linked to Section 21 notices in 2024. 5% said they were mostly concerned about the logistics of moving to a new home.
Where In The UK Do You Primarily Live?
71% of our audience are Londoners
When analysing the opinions of tenants from around the UK, we also evaluated where they lived:
At 71%, the majority of our audience live primarily in London. Official figures show that there are approximately 2.7 million private renters in the capital. As for the rest of the audience, 5% live in Cardiff, while another 5% live in Glasgow. 4% live in Sheffield, and another 4% in Bristol, Newcastle, Liverpool, and Leeds.
Having increased sharply over the last few years, no fault evictions are a thorny issue in the UK. Apart from putting tenants at risk of homelessness, they can also cause complications such as making finding a new home more difficult or contributing to tenants’ financial stability.
Fortunately, there may be an end in sight to these evictions. Spearheaded by Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner, the Renters’ Rights Bill will prevent tenants from being served Section 21 orders, provide more rights to challenge unfair rent increases, and target landlords who refuse to repair mouldy homes.
The bill is expected to come into force in summer 2025, although as many as 15,600 households are expected to be evicted by bailiffs before then. Until the bill comes into force, many tenants in the UK still remain at risk of the unfair practice of being evicted from their homes at the whim of their landlords.
Methodology
The data was sourced from an independent sample of 484,410 tenants in the UK from X, Quora, Reddit, TikTok, and Threads. Responses are collected within an 80% confidence interval and a 5% margin of error. Engagement estimates how many people in the location are participating. Demographics are determined using many features, including name, location, and self-disclosed description. Privacy is preserved using k-anonymity and differential privacy. Results are based on what people describe online — questions were not posed to the people in the sample.
About the representative sample:
- 77% of UK tenants are aged 45 and older.
- 57% identify as female and 43% as male.
