Bailiffs evicted 3,405 households in the private rented sector in England between April and June this year, according to the latest government figures.
The data shows that this figure has increased by 39% compared to the previous quarter.
Shelter warns that the total number of eviction proceedings is now back at pre-pandemic levels, before the eviction ban took effect.
Previous government figures warned that in the first three months of the year a quarter of households were found to be either homeless or at risk of becoming homeless because of losing a private tenancy, representing 18,210 households.
This figure has increased by 94% in a year and is the second leading trigger of homelessness in England.
Research by Shelter found that 64% of private renters said the current economic climate meant that, if they were evicted, they’d struggle to afford the costs of moving.
With record high rents, increasing bills and housing benefits frozen at 2020 levels, Shelter says far too many renters are struggling to make ends meet and are at risk of losing the roof over their heads.
To prevent more people from becoming homeless, Shelter urges the government to reverse the housing benefit freeze so it reflects real housing costs.
Shelter chief executive Polly Neate says: “Today’s figures paint a grim picture of households across England unable to keep their heads above water as the cost-of-living crisis bites. People who don’t leave their home before the bailiff comes are the ones who have run out of options and have nowhere else to go.”
“The government must urgently unfreeze housing benefit so it covers the true cost of renting before more families are evicted and pushed into homelessness. Whoever becomes the next Prime Minister needs to get a grip and put ending the housing emergency at the top of their to-do list.”
Responding to Shelter’s research, the National Residential Landlords Association policy director Chris Norris says: “At a time when inflation is so high and landlord costs are rapidly increasing, the latest official data shows that average private rents across the UK have gone up by 3.4% over the last twelve months. This shows that most landlords are prepared to bear the brunt of rising costs to keep tenants in their homes when they can.”
“There will be cases where landlords are simply unable to shoulder all the increased costs and need to increase rents accordingly. Where this causes difficulties, particularly for tenants on low incomes, the government should end the freeze on housing benefits. Even before the sharp rise in inflation, the level of benefits was failing to reflect the cost of rents as they are today.”
“Further increases in rents will also be driven by a chronic shortage of homes for private rent. This is a direct consequence of government action to discourage investment in the sector. Ministers need urgently to develop pro-growth policies to ensure supply meets demand in the rental market.”
