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

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what estimate his Department has made of the number of people who have been evicted since the lockdown period began due to the covid-19 outbreak.

The Department does not hold or collect information relating to evictions. The Ministry of Justice publish quarterly statistics on possession claim actions in county courts by mortgage lenders and social and private landlords.

We have introduced legislation through the Coronavirus Act 2020 that will protect most tenants in the private and social rented sectors from eviction for a reasonable and specified period of time, in recognition of the unusual circumstances arising from the COVID-19 outbreak. It requires landlords to give three months’ notice of their intention to seek possession to regain properties that are let on a tenancy.

In addition to the measures in the Coronavirus Act 2020 set out above, the Master of the Rolls has issued a Practice Direction to stop housing possession claims which are already in the court system or which are issued after the Act came into force from progressing. As a result of these measures, no renter in private or social accommodation needs to be concerned about the threat of eviction during this time.