Last minute Section 21 notices could leave people homeless, Sheffield tenants union warns

Sheffield’s largest tenants union, ACORN, has warned that hundreds of renters in the city could face homelessness in the next two months, after a flurry of last minute Section 21 eviction notices were served before the May 1st Renters Reform Act deadline.

The long-awaited Renters Reform Act ended Section 21 no-fault evictions, a change which campaigners from ACORN called “transformative and positive for England’s 12 million renters.”

The tenants union called it a huge win for renters, while Sheffield Students’ Union labeled it “the biggest shake‑up of the private rental sector in almost 40 years.”

“Section 21 no-fault evictions were the biggest cause of homelessness in this country. Tenants no longer have the horrible uncertainty of knowing their landlord could kick them out of their home with just two months' notice for no reason whatsoever, even if they’ve never missed a rent payment,” said a spokesperson for ACORN Sheffield.

The Sheffield Green Party joined the chorus of celebration as the RRA came into effect: “Great work by ACORN Sheffield, supporting renters and pressing for the Renters’ Rights Act which has become law today.”

But ACORN Sheffield also warned of a flurry of last minute-evictions put in before the Act became law.

The union said that usually 1 in 5 of their requests for help are eviction related, but in April eviction-related requests went up to almost half.

It called the behaviour of landlords “very poor” and warned that last-minute eviction notices could potentially leave tenants homeless.

The union also sent a warning out to landlords who decided to evict on the eve of Section 21's abolition, saying: “ACORN Sheffield stopped three evictions last year, and our hundreds of members across the city are ready to keep doing so.”

In October last year, bailiffs tried to evict Kathryn, a disabled member of ACORN Sheffield, from her home. 

“We rallied our members across the city and stopped them, giving her and her family the precious time they needed to find a new home,” said an ACORN spokesperson.

The union is calling for the "hundreds of renters in Sheffield who got a Section 21 in May” to get in touch.