On the eve of section 21 being abolished, I was served an eviction notice. I was far from alone | George Francis Lee

2 hours ago 4

You never welcome an email from your landlord, or in my case, my landlord’s agent. I happened to be in an airport waiting for a flight when something landed in my inbox that made my stomach drop. Two words popped out in the subject line: “Section 21”.

Miles from home, staring at my phone, I felt useless and despondent at being served a no-fault eviction notice days before the new Renters’ Right Act made them illegal at the start of May. Once a feature of England’s rental market, section 21s had allowed landlords to force tenants out of their homes with only a minimum of two months’ notice. Presumably not wanting the hassle of having to use a section 8 notice – citing one or more legal grounds to end a tenancy – my landlord evicted me at the 11th hour.

It turns out that I was one of many. In the buildup to 1 May, solicitors reported thousands of people seeking advice after being served notices. People don’t come to expect charity from their landlords, but the fact that so many have slipped in section 21s at the last possible moment only emphasises the imbalance of power between landlords and tenants. For everyone involved – landlords, renters, solicitors – the sheer number of section 21s being served did not come as a shock. What is more surprising is that the government failed to put in any protections for renters during the transition period.

I’m now looking for somewhere new. I have the benefit of having a family that lives locally who would certainly let me stay in a spare room if push came to shove. I recently became a member of my local tenants’ union in Greater Manchester, so I have people ready to fight for my rights as a renter. But not everyone has that support. There are so many people out there who will have had a section 21 slip through their letterbox in the past few weeks without any idea where they’ll go.

The new act is by far the best piece of legislation for renters’ rights in more than 30 years. It has killed fixed-term contracts; banned discriminatory policies including “no kids” and “no DSS”; limited the amount of advance rent to one month’s; ensured tenants are able to appeal against excessive above-market rents that are purely designed to force them out; it’s even made it impossible for landlords to flat-out ban pets without good reason. Even now as I look for a new flat, I won’t have to engage in any bidding wars to secure a place. But what the last gasps of section 21 has proved is that the system still has a long way to go and we must never stop fighting for more rights to rebalance the power dynamic between renters and landlords.

As campaigners have rightly pointed out, the act doesn’t even begin to deal with the problem of ballooning rents. Market rate is still extortionate, with the housing charity Shelter reporting rises in excess of 10%, even 20%. The average monthly rent in Manchester is £1,347, according to the Office for National Statistics. We need more affordable housing for those who would prefer to buy but are instead stuck renting because of extortionate rental costs (never mind the wider cost of living) eating at their savings. For those who would like to rent – for example, newcomers to cities or students – private renting should be affordable. And for those who are unable to afford private rental accommodation, there should be more social housing.

In 2024-25 alone, England lost 21,436 social homes, mostly through right-to-buy sales and demolitions. We’re undergoing a net loss in social housing; according to Shelter, England has 1.4 million fewer households in social housing than it did in 1980.

The Renters’ Right Act is a victory for the 11 million private renters across the country, but don’t forget who still holds the power.