Evictions have continued to decline in the run-up to the Renters’ Rights Bill, defying predictions from landlord groups of a last-minute surge.
New figures from the Ministry of Justice show that landlord section 21 claims in England and Wales fell by 12% in the second quarter of 2025 compared with the same period last year. The drop comes despite warnings from some landlord organisations that the bill’s looming ban on ‘no fault’ evictions would prompt a “wave of evictions” before its provisions take effect.
Campaigners welcomed the figures, renewing calls for the Government to scrap section 21 immediately once the bill passes—a pledge Labour made during last year’s election. Under current plans, the ban would not come into force until an unspecified later date.
Since ministers first promised to abolish section 21 in 2019, more than 130,000 households have faced such eviction claims in court. The real number is thought to be higher, as many cases never reach the courts.
The Renters’ Rights Bill is now in its final Commons stage, having returned from the House of Lords with amendments that campaigners say could erode key protections. Among the changes are new possession grounds for landlords to house carers or agricultural workers, a reduced re-letting ban after sales-related evictions, and permission to charge an additional three weeks’ rent as a deposit from tenants with pets.
Tom Darling, director of the Renters’ Reform Coalition, said the fall in eviction claims “blows apart the myth of a ‘landlord exodus’ and eviction surge” linked to the bill. But he warned that Lords amendments had “hugely undermined” the legislation.
“For the bill to make a real difference for renters,” he said, “the Government must remove those amendments when it returns to the Commons, then press on and abolish section 21 immediately.”