Nearly a million private tenants fear eviction if they complain about the poor standards of their homes, Citizens Advice Bureau (CAB) research shows.
In a practice known as “retaliatory eviction”, rogue landlords serve notice on them to quit in response to requests for repairs or complaints, using s 21 of the Housing Act 1988 to end assured shorthold tenancy agreements. The CAB report, The Tenant’s Dilemma, highlights the choice faced by many tenants—whether to risk eviction or continue living in damp or unsuitable housing. Its author, Debbie Crew, a CAB worker from Merseyside, says: “We want a change in the law to stop this practice by putting restrictions on the use of section 21 where a tenant has recently exercised their statutory rights regarding disrepair or health and safety issues.”
The report includes a survey of 129 environmental health officers and tenancy relations officers. Nearly half said that in their experience, people were put off using their help because they don’t want to put their tenancy in jeopardy.
