Tenancy evictions by bailiffs hit record high

BAILIFFS evicted more than 40,000 renting households last year — the highest number since records began according to figures released by the Ministry of Justice (MoJ).

The data revealed that the number of tenants who were evicted has gone up 53% since 2010, the equivalent of over 250 people losing their home each day.

The figures, released on Thursday, revealed that 42,728 renting households in England and Wales were evicted by county court bailiffs in 2015, a two percent increase on the previous year and the highest number on record since the MoJ started collecting data on home repossessions in 2000.

High increase in rents

The London Borough of Newham had the highest rate of repossessions, equal to 191 for each 100,000 households in the area. Londoners are the most likely to lose their homes, with 16 of the top 20 boroughs with the highest proportions of repossessions coming from the capital.

More than 19,000 evictions in England were carried out by social landlords, including housing associations, while 6,000 were performed by private landlords.

Rents have risen sharply in recent years and high house prices have led would be buyers to put their plans on hold. Figures from the Association of Residential Letting Agents show that UK tenants on average spent 22% of their wages on rent last year, and that buyers getting on the ladder this year will have previously paid out on average of £52,900 to landlords. 

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Source: Ministry of Justice : Mortgage and Landlord Possession Statistics Quarterly, England and Wales 
Link: https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/499083/mortgage-and-landlord-possession-statistics-october-to-december-2015.pdf