Private Renting tenants not in fear of eviction at all

With a new government only 27 days in power and the uncertainty of what a new Renters Rights Bill will hold for the Private Rented Sector (PRS), the latest English Housing Survey has been a little overlooked since its publication on 18th July.

The collective narrative from tenant activist groups such as Acorn, Shelter, and Generation Rent, lead us and the Government to believe that all tenants in the private sector are living in fear of eviction. 

Rarely do these organisations provide evidence to back up their claims, instead opting for orchestrated stats manipulated from promoted surveys of their own audience.

The English Housing Survey, on the other hand, has no hidden agenda and surveys the Nation. 

The latest stats show the PRS is actually more stable than the activists would have you believe. 

In the last 3 years, only 9% of tenants in the PRS were evicted. Of these, 67% were evicted because the landlord wanted to sell or use the property in another way. 

37% of tenants who were evicted were issued a Section 21, with only 2% saying this was due to the landlord increasing rent that they refused or were unable to pay. Moreover, 78% of the tenants surveyed said they currently felt safe from eviction, and 75% said their current private rented property felt like home.

This data doesn’t really support the narrative being claimed that tenants are living in fear of a ticking time-bomb of impending homelessness. But the media, of course, are not always interested in the good news stories, as that doesn’t have the same impact as dramatic headlines such as “Greedy landlords leaving single parents homeless” or “Tenants in fear of losing their home.”

Facts matter. Just because the anti-landlord activists shout the loudest doesn’t mean they are right. 

The English Housing Survey provides a more balanced and accurate portrayal of the PRS, showing that many tenants feel secure and at home in their rented properties. 

As the government considers new policies for the PRS, it is crucial that they base their decisions on comprehensive data rather than selective statistics promoted by activist groups. 

The real narrative, supported by the latest survey, reveals a sector that is far more stable and secure than it is often portrayed.