Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what estimate her Department has made of the number of Section 21 eviction notices issued in (a) West Dorset constituency and (b) the South West in the 12 months prior to the implementation of the Renters’ Rights Act.

My Department does not expect a spike in Section 21 notices ahead of implementation Phase 1 of the Renters’ Rights Act on 1 May 2026.

The latest Ministry of Justice official possession statistics, which can be found on gov.uk here, show that there was a 17% decrease in Section 21 accelerated possession claims in England between October and December 2025 when compared to the same quarter in the previous year.