The Ministry of Justice publishes statistics on the volumes of landlord repossessions which can be found here; however, it is not possible to disaggregate this by the characteristics of the individual(s) being evicted or the grounds of the eviction.

The Government is committed to protecting the rights of tenants and giving them more security. We recently consulted on ways to overcome the barriers to landlords offering longer, more secure tenancies in the private rented sector.

We are considering responses to the consultation and will be bringing forward proposals that make the system work for both tenants and landlords. We will provide more information on next steps shortly.

The Department does not hold the information requested.

As of August 2018, 84% of paid Universal Credit full service new claims were paid in full on time. When new claims are not paid on time, it is estimated that two-thirds have an outstanding verification issue, such as providing bank statements, evidence of childcare costs, or proof of rent. Other times it’s because a claimant has not signed their claimant commitment.

Claimants can claim an advance of up to 100% of their estimated monthly entitlement as soon as they make their claim, so no-one needs to experience hardship when claiming Universal Credit.

Additionally, it was announced that from July 2020, income related legacy benefits, Income Support, Income Related Employment and Support Allowance and Income Based Jobseeker’s Allowance will continue for two weeks after a claim for Universal Credit has been made. This is in addition to a pre-existing two week run-on of housing benefit.

Under the Assured Shorthold Tenancy regime, which is now the most common form of tenancy in the private rented sector, tenants have a minimum of 6 months security of tenure. According to the English Housing Survey, 10 per cent of tenants moved because they were asked to leave or were given notice by their landlord. A landlord can only seek possession within the fixed term tenancy period by applying to the court for a possession in accordance with section 8 of the Housing Act 1988 on one or more of the grounds contained in schedule 2.

Outside of the fixed term period, a landlord can evict a tenant using a Section 21 notice but only where the landlord has complied with certain legal obligations. These include protecting their tenants’ deposit in a Tenancy Deposit Protection scheme, providing Gas Safety Certificates, and also providing a copy of the Government’s ‘How to Rent’ guide.

The Government is committed to making renting more secure. On 2 July, we launched a consultation on overcoming the barriers to longer tenancies in the private rented sector. We are seeking views on a three year longer tenancy model with a six month break clause to allow tenants and landlords to exit the agreement early if needed. The Government will consider the responses to the consultation and set out next steps later in the year. The consultation document is available at https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/overcoming-the-barriers-to-longer-tenancies-in-the-private-rented-sector.