A RISING number of people across the North East face eviction as landlords attempt to reclaim properties amid a worsening cost of living crisis, The Northern Echo can reveal.
Within months of a nationwide eviction ban being lifted, claims submitted to the region’s repossession courts had soared.
Throughout the whole of last year, there were nearly 2,000 eviction claims lodged by mortgage companies and landlords hoping to turf tenants out of their properties.
Between January and March this year, more than 1,000 had already been submitted.
Read more: A heartbreaking day at Teesside's eviction courts
And those kicked out of their homes as a result may struggle to afford the unexpected costs of having to find somewhere else to live, housing charity Shelter has warned.
Repossession courts in the North East received 1,069 claims in the first quarter of 2022 - up from 740 the quarter before and a rise from just 213 during the same period last year. Most were from landlords.
Judges handed down 559 outright possession orders that quarter, granting the landlords or companies the right to apply for a warrant to evict their tenants.
In comparison, 832 outright orders were granted throughout the entirety of 2021.
And during that three months, 267 homes were successfully repossessed – more than half of the total reclaimed last year.
Eviction claims have soared by more than a third nationally, according to the latest Ministry of Justice figures.
They rose swiftly after a significant fall during the coronavirus pandemic, when a temporary eviction ban was introduced.
Read more: A step by step guide through the eviction process
Polly Neate, Shelter’s chief executive, said: “It’s alarming that as the living cost crisis rages more landlords are kicking tenants out of their homes.
“These are real people whose lives are being turned upside down and simply cannot afford to lose their homes right now.”
Shelter is calling on the Government to urgently bring forward laws that would scrap Section 21 ‘no fault’ evictions, which see tenants given as little as eight weeks to leave their homes.
In April 2019, the Government said it would scrap the contentious orders and is expected to do so as part of its Renters Reform Bill.
Section 21 claims in the North East have now surpassed pre-pandemic levels – rising from 186 in the first quarter of 2020 to 305 in the first quarter of this year.
Ms Neate said the scrapping of Section 21 evictions alone would not solve the cost-of-living crisis for renters but would give some more security in their homes.
She added: “Every day our emergency helpline supports renters who are scrambling around trying to find another home after being slapped with a no-fault eviction.
“But soaring living costs mean many are struggling to stump up the cash for a house move they don’t want to make.”
Read more: Facing eviction? Here's all you need to know about your rights
Claire Harrington, who acts as a duty solicitor in the region’s possessions courts, has urged those facing court hearings to seek legal advice as soon as possible.
She said support was always available at court, adding: “Sometimes possession hearings can be stopped and many people don’t realise they can access legal advice for free.”
A Government spokesman said its Renters Reform Bill would deliver a “radically fairer deal for renters” and highlighted a £316m investment in homelessness prevention that will allow councils to work with landlords to prevent evictions.
Recent ONS figures show that half of renters could not afford an unexpected, but necessary, expense of £850.
Yet new research by Shelter reveals the average cost of moving home for a private renter, including deposits and rent in advance, is nearly double that: £1,650.
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