PARLIAMENTARY WRITTEN QUESTION
Private Rented Housing: Evictions (29 June 2020)

The Government does not collect information on the number of section 21 notices that landlords have served on their tenants indicating a desire to regain possession of their property.

Where a landlord serves a valid notice on an Assured Shorthold Tenancy, the landlord can only lawfully regain possession by making a claim for possession in the county court unless the tenant chooses to vacate the property.

The Mortgage and Landlord Repossession Statistics record the number of claims for possession brought by landlords in the county court in each quarter. In addition, the latest statistics for the first quarter of 2020 indicate the number of claims for possession issued on a weekly basis from the week commencing 3 February until the end of the quarter. The quarterly data can be accessed to local authority level in the published data files. The statistics are available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/mortgage-and-landlord-possession-statistics-january-to-march-2020

All housing possession proceedings are suspended until 23 August 2020. In addition, the emergency measures in the Coronavirus Act 2020, which require landlords to give tenants at least 3 months' notice of their intention to regain possession of their property are in place until 30 September 2020.