0:00:04 > 0:00:10Tonight on Panorama:
0:00:10 > 0:00:12We're with the families who've been ordered out
0:00:12 > 0:00:13of their homes.
0:00:13 > 0:00:16I can't sleep.
0:00:16 > 0:00:19Cried a million tears tonight.
0:00:19 > 0:00:27The tenants evicted, but not told why.
0:00:28 > 0:00:34What is it like for your mum moving all the time?I think it is really
0:00:34 > 0:00:39hard and depressing for her. There were more than 24,000 of these
0:00:39 > 0:00:49no-fault evictions last year. Move, move. I can't just keep uprooting my
0:00:49 > 0:00:55family.The landlords say they are the ones getting a bad deal.Very
0:00:55 > 0:01:00angry. The tenants have all sorts of laws protecting them, what about the
0:01:00 > 0:01:07landlord?Oh my god, I do not know how to open this.Britain needs
0:01:07 > 0:01:11private landlords, but the system is forcing thousands into homelessness.
0:01:11 > 0:01:19Oh my God. There is blood, urine stains everywhere.Should tenants be
0:01:19 > 0:01:26evicted when they have not done anything wrong?
0:01:40 > 0:01:49I'm sorry. Thanks.This is what the housing crisis is doing to families.
0:01:49 > 0:01:56The McGlashans are being evicted. Stick it in a bag and let your dad
0:01:56 > 0:02:03put it back together.They have fallen out with their landlord. In
0:02:03 > 0:02:10the UK, that can cost you your home. The bailiffs are due to turn up
0:02:10 > 0:02:23tomorrow at 11am. At which point we will hopefully be gone.
0:02:23 > 0:02:26will hopefully be gone.This is a no-fault eviction, or section 20
0:02:26 > 0:02:33one. Landlords do not have to give you a reason if they want you out.
0:02:33 > 0:02:39Courts ordered more than 24,000 evictions like this last year. That
0:02:39 > 0:02:49is 67 everyday.It is very common, a lot of people are being evicted.
0:02:49 > 0:02:54There is nothing you can really do about it. If the eviction notice is
0:02:54 > 0:02:57served correctly you cannot challenge it. We have to take it and
0:02:57 > 0:03:02find somewhere else to go to.Laura lives with her husband, who does not
0:03:02 > 0:03:08want to be on television, five kids and retired mum. Her landlord wants
0:03:08 > 0:03:16to put the rent up by more than £400 a month. Laura is a full-time
0:03:16 > 0:03:20account manager, but it is still more than she can afford. So she is
0:03:20 > 0:03:32out.For a landlord to issue an eviction on a rundown property, with
0:03:32 > 0:03:39windows hanging off the ledge... You know, it is not right, it should not
0:03:39 > 0:03:52be allowed to happen. But it can happen because tenants in
0:03:52 > 0:03:59the UK have fewer rights than almost anywhere in Europe. Most are on the
0:03:59 > 0:04:05short-term contracts. When they are ending, they can be evicted with
0:04:05 > 0:04:09just two months notice, though it can often take longer to get tenants
0:04:09 > 0:04:15out.The eviction for section 21 would not be able to go ahead until
0:04:15 > 0:04:22October.Why are the tenants not leaving the property?The number of
0:04:22 > 0:04:29private landlords has rocketed to an estimated 1.75 million.Nicola, she
0:04:29 > 0:04:36wants to hold off the Bailiff.So there are specialist firms that help
0:04:36 > 0:04:42landlords get tenants out.This one removes hundreds per year. You have
0:04:42 > 0:04:47plenty of ways to evict, it is making sure you choose the right
0:04:47 > 0:04:51one.We do this day in day out to help landlords who are distressed
0:04:51 > 0:04:58like yourself.Take care. But the housing shortage means Britain now
0:04:58 > 0:05:04depends on the private rented sector. Around 13 million people
0:05:04 > 0:05:11rent from private landlords.
0:05:11 > 0:05:13rent from private landlords.98% of tenants go through swimmingly and
0:05:13 > 0:05:17most landlords will not have to evict a tenant in a lifetime of
0:05:17 > 0:05:24being a landlord but when it happens it can be destroyed and
0:05:24 > 0:05:27it can be destroyed and -- distressing.Most UK landlords only
0:05:27 > 0:05:33owned one or two properties, which means they cannot afford for things
0:05:33 > 0:05:39to go wrong for long. No-fault section 21 evictions are the easiest
0:05:39 > 0:05:45way for private landlords to get their properties back.I think it is
0:05:45 > 0:05:49crucial, a section 21 notice means landlords and tenants can draw a
0:05:49 > 0:05:54tendency to an end and nobody is at fault and everybody knows where they
0:05:54 > 0:05:59stand.You are not worried it is too much in favour of the landlord?The
0:05:59 > 0:06:06rules currently are mostly in favour of the tenant.If you have at least
0:06:06 > 0:06:14two months arrears we will be a -- able to serve a section eight.It
0:06:14 > 0:06:19looks like a landlord can bid out a tenant when they feel like.It must
0:06:19 > 0:06:24be tough for a tenant, if they think they have been a good tenant, to
0:06:24 > 0:06:28leave the property, but the reasons why a landlord will use a section 21
0:06:28 > 0:06:33will be the relationship has broken down, the tenant is not looking
0:06:33 > 0:06:38after the property, paying rent on time. Or that personal circumstances
0:06:38 > 0:06:42have happened. It can be brutal and I feel for tenants that has happened
0:06:42 > 0:06:48to.
0:06:48 > 0:06:54to.But section 21 can be abused. Some landlords evict tenants just
0:06:54 > 0:07:03for complaining about the property. The housing charity Shelter claims
0:07:03 > 0:07:10thousands are affected by revenge evictions every year.
0:07:20 > 0:07:26Julie, who is a beautician, complained and now she is out. She
0:07:26 > 0:07:30has lived in this house in rural Worcestershire for four years and
0:07:30 > 0:07:37has always paid her rent. She complained repeatedly about problems
0:07:37 > 0:07:45like a leaking shower.I sent a message to my sons and said we are
0:07:45 > 0:07:50homeless. They are like, you are joking. They said, what have you
0:07:50 > 0:07:54done? I said I feel like I have done nothing other than complain about
0:07:54 > 0:08:02this leak.
0:08:02 > 0:08:07this leak.Julie was offered a new lease, but she did not sign it.
0:08:07 > 0:08:14After three months, the landlord issued an eviction notice.I have
0:08:14 > 0:08:22worked hard and spent almost £40,000 to live here. I have nothing for it.
0:08:22 > 0:08:27Nothing, I am homeless. £40,000. That is like a quarter of the
0:08:27 > 0:08:40mortgage I have paid off on this house. It just means nothing.
0:08:40 > 0:08:43house. It just means nothing.Her landlord says he carried out
0:08:43 > 0:08:51repairs, but was fed up with Julie's trivial complaints.Have you got to
0:08:51 > 0:08:56appoint a solicitor? I have not got a solicitor. You cannot fight it.It
0:08:56 > 0:09:01is not a fighting thing. She thinks she has found a place but it might
0:09:01 > 0:09:08not be ready by the time she is kicked out.
0:09:08 > 0:09:17kicked out.It gives you a heavy heart. I keep being
0:09:18 > 0:09:21heart. I keep being told I don't have to get out of here, but if I
0:09:21 > 0:09:28stay here, they will start court proceedings, sought the bailiffs out
0:09:28 > 0:09:31and all the other scary stuff they are going to do. And I have done
0:09:31 > 0:09:42nothing wrong. But the private rental market can be
0:09:42 > 0:09:49precarious for landlords also. Bad tenants can quickly cost you
0:09:49 > 0:09:54thousands.
0:09:54 > 0:10:01thousands. Section 21 evictions can feel like a lifeline.Show me where
0:10:01 > 0:10:09your places. It is the bottom left flat. What kind of places it? It is
0:10:09 > 0:10:17a two bedroom ground floor flat.How much do you rent it for? £950 per
0:10:17 > 0:10:21month. Frances Carpenter works as a hotel cleaner and also rents out two
0:10:21 > 0:10:28properties. But she is not happy with the tenant in this one. He has
0:10:28 > 0:10:31installed satellite television and changed utility meters without
0:10:31 > 0:10:38permission.The rent was late, several times, and then he decided
0:10:38 > 0:10:43he could not pay all the rent, could he pay half at the beginning of the
0:10:43 > 0:10:49month and half at the end of the month? That was the last straw. My
0:10:49 > 0:10:54bills have to go out, I do not get to pay bills into halves and go to
0:10:54 > 0:11:00the supermarket and say I will pay for this now and pay for the rest of
0:11:00 > 0:11:08it next week. You pay for it all at once.
0:11:08 > 0:11:13Her tenants always paid the rent eventually. He has a school-age
0:11:13 > 0:11:19daughter and the eviction could leave them homeless. You use a
0:11:19 > 0:11:25section 21.Are you being brutal with him? I do not think so, he is
0:11:25 > 0:11:29brutal by not asking permission to do the things he has done. You do
0:11:29 > 0:11:36not drill holes through walls and put up cable clips and generally
0:11:36 > 0:11:43treat the place as if it is some kind of... It is his home? It is his
0:11:43 > 0:11:52home, but it is my property. You are emotional. I am very angry. Tenants
0:11:52 > 0:12:03have all sorts of laws protecting them, what about the landlord?
0:12:03 > 0:12:06them, what about the landlord?The eviction has cost Frances more than
0:12:06 > 0:12:11£1000 so far. She has had to borrow money. If evictions are costly for
0:12:11 > 0:12:19tenants also. Research suggests the average cost of a move for a family
0:12:19 > 0:12:28is about £1400. If you do not have that money, you are in trouble. The
0:12:28 > 0:12:36most common cause of homelessness is being evicted by a private landlord.
0:12:39 > 0:12:45Laura's family cannot afford London rents. This is the new place. They
0:12:45 > 0:12:50are officially homeless, so the council has moved them to a B&B.Can
0:12:50 > 0:13:02you smell the urine? OK.This is your one. Laura's mum has moved with
0:13:02 > 0:13:10them.Oh my God.
0:13:11 > 0:13:17them.Oh my God.There is blood, urine stains everywhere. Disgusting.
0:13:17 > 0:13:28I can't sleep there, I'm afraid.
0:13:28 > 0:13:36That is even worse. That is why they are turned over. It is like someone
0:13:36 > 0:13:49has been killed on it.They probably have, judging by the smell.
0:13:49 > 0:13:54have, judging by the smell. You cannot put children on beds like
0:13:54 > 0:14:04that.I think we need to complain because they are a bit of a health
0:14:04 > 0:14:09hazard.
0:14:13 > 0:14:17The B&B replaced the mattresses. Four days later, the family are
0:14:17 > 0:14:25settling in.What planet do you live on?I lived on the white planet.
0:14:25 > 0:14:33What is it called?Is it the moon? The kids are missing school because
0:14:33 > 0:14:37it is now 1.5 hours away. What is it like for your mum moving all the
0:14:37 > 0:14:43time, do you think?I think it is really hard and depressing for her.
0:14:43 > 0:14:49Why?Because she has to move a lot and when we get used to the house
0:14:49 > 0:14:58and she has to move again...That's hard, isn't it? Even though Laura
0:14:58 > 0:15:06works, the family relies on housing benefit to meet high London rents.
0:15:06 > 0:15:12Most landlords simply won't rent to people on housing benefit.The
0:15:12 > 0:15:20eviction wasn't our fault. People that may not have the means to pay
0:15:20 > 0:15:26out large deposits or find an alternative property, you are
0:15:26 > 0:15:37completely at the landlord's swim. -- the landlord's whim.Rents are so
0:15:37 > 0:15:41high in some parts of the country, that people on average wages are
0:15:41 > 0:15:48being priced out. There is little social housing and private landlords
0:15:48 > 0:15:58can choose the wealthiest tenants. So, families who are evicted can end
0:15:58 > 0:16:08up in places like this. It is an industrial estate near Croydon.
0:16:08 > 0:16:11industrial estate near Croydon. Home to concrete plants, recycling
0:16:11 > 0:16:15centres, lorries, and now families living in a converted office block.
0:16:15 > 0:16:23From where I'm sitting, believe me, I am hearing heard... Her rationale
0:16:23 > 0:16:28but sitting on this side of it, it is an absolute nightmare. It is an
0:16:28 > 0:16:36absolute nightmare.Ava works for the council but she's not here to
0:16:36 > 0:16:41help the homeless. She has been evicted twice under section 20 one.
0:16:41 > 0:16:47She's homeless so the council has housed her in the office block.I
0:16:47 > 0:16:52work with Croydon Council also but the form... What is the point of
0:16:52 > 0:17:01this online system? Who is it? Richard from the BBC,
0:17:01 > 0:17:10Ava. How are you? Pleased to meet you. How's things?OK.This is your
0:17:10 > 0:17:18place?Come in, it is a bit of a shuffle.This is your hall?Very
0:17:18 > 0:17:26small hallway.So, this was an office block?Yeah, this is my son's
0:17:26 > 0:17:32bedroom.And the roofs are very low, aren't they?Yeah, but we're not
0:17:32 > 0:17:40that tall, so...She lives here with her son and shares a bed with her
0:17:40 > 0:17:44grown-up daughter. Despite working full-time, Ava could not afford
0:17:44 > 0:17:49another rented home after her two evictions. Life with no security,
0:17:49 > 0:17:55what's that's like?I've been through it, and might only... Hope
0:17:55 > 0:18:00of getting out of it is apparently to get back into private rented
0:18:00 > 0:18:05because there is no... Council 's stock come I have to go private
0:18:05 > 0:18:10rented but I know what that looks like, I know what that feels like,
0:18:10 > 0:18:15and I really, really, really don't want to be there again. I don't want
0:18:15 > 0:18:20somebody with that kind of power over me.
0:18:28 > 0:18:35Ava was a foster mum. She cared for six kids and adopted two of them.
0:18:35 > 0:18:39She's now had to give up fostering because she doesn't have a proper
0:18:39 > 0:18:48home.I've never seen her so scattered and just at a loss. It's
0:18:48 > 0:18:52really upsetting, actually. You know, she's always been quite
0:18:52 > 0:18:56together, she's a foster carer so you have to be quite legitimate and
0:18:56 > 0:19:03just strong. It upsets me to see her just not sure where the future is
0:19:03 > 0:19:12going.This is the fourth place that I've had to bring my cattle since...
0:19:12 > 0:19:18In 18 months. Now, that can't be right. There is something that is
0:19:18 > 0:19:27just a little bit wrong about that, that move, move, move, I can't just
0:19:27 > 0:19:38keep uprooting my family and just going from place to place.
0:19:41 > 0:19:47So, the system is not working for thousands of landlords and tenants.
0:19:47 > 0:19:56But there is part of the UK where they think they've found a solution.
0:19:56 > 0:20:03Scotland's renters now get tenancies for life.In you come. This is us in
0:20:03 > 0:20:10here. Come through to the lounge. Stewart Brown is looking for a new
0:20:10 > 0:20:18flat to rent in Aberdeen.You have got your white goods here.He is
0:20:18 > 0:20:22moving in with his girlfriend. Taking a video because my girlfriend
0:20:22 > 0:20:28couldn't make it today.The law changed two months ago. If they move
0:20:28 > 0:20:33in, the landlord won't be able to kick them out without good reason.
0:20:33 > 0:20:38If we do take it, it is a nice thought that it could just be right,
0:20:38 > 0:20:44it could work out well for us and we could stay here for the foreseeable
0:20:44 > 0:20:51future, make a home out of it. Fill it with all our own belongings and
0:20:51 > 0:21:00know that we are not going to be taken out at short notice.
0:21:05 > 0:21:11Good evening, everyone and thanks for coming in.Across town, there is
0:21:11 > 0:21:14a meeting of landlords. These are the biggest changes to the rental
0:21:14 > 0:21:21sector in a generation.Tenants deserve protection from rogue
0:21:21 > 0:21:25landlords and a place where they can be happy and enjoy the property that
0:21:25 > 0:21:30they are in for the full tenancy. There are worries about red tape but
0:21:30 > 0:21:38the new rules offer something for landlords, too.The change, I think
0:21:38 > 0:21:43if they are behind three months, they've got to go immediately.
0:21:43 > 0:21:46No-fault evictions have gone here but it is now much easier for
0:21:46 > 0:21:51landlords to get bad tenants out. When you look at the 18 ways you can
0:21:51 > 0:21:57get tenants out, they work both ways. If I want to put my family in
0:21:57 > 0:22:01there, I can end the tendency to put my relative in there. And also if
0:22:01 > 0:22:06they don't pay the rent, you don't have to go to court to get them out.
0:22:06 > 0:22:12I think it drives out the rogue landlords, certainly does, and
0:22:12 > 0:22:20forces people to become professional.Of course, the housing
0:22:20 > 0:22:26market varies across the UK. Labour thinks no-fault evictions should
0:22:26 > 0:22:32stop everywhere. The government disagrees. It says it's increased
0:22:32 > 0:22:35protection for tenants and will reduce barriers that block landlords
0:22:35 > 0:22:41offering longer tenancies.
0:22:42 > 0:22:44offering longer tenancies. So, what's happened to the people we
0:22:44 > 0:22:50have followed?
0:22:50 > 0:22:53have followed? Well, Julie, who complained about her shower, is now
0:22:53 > 0:22:59days away from eviction. She gets a call about the place she was
0:22:59 > 0:23:07supposed to move into. It's bad news.I can't sleep. I cried a
0:23:07 > 0:23:14million tears tonight.
0:23:15 > 0:23:23The house I was going for has fallen through.
0:23:24 > 0:23:29Her landlord has given her an extra month but, after that, she has
0:23:29 > 0:23:38nowhere to go. Section 21 has turned her life upside down.
0:23:39 > 0:23:42her life upside down.Devastated. I don't know where to run. I'd like to
0:23:42 > 0:23:50go and crawl under a rock somewhere and hide but I can't. Yeah. My life
0:23:50 > 0:23:55and my security is in everybody else's hands but is mine. They've
0:23:55 > 0:24:05all got control of my life. And that is not a very nice feeling.
0:24:05 > 0:24:08is not a very nice feeling.There has, at last, been some good news
0:24:08 > 0:24:13for Julie. Within the last week, she's managed to find somewhere to
0:24:13 > 0:24:19rent.
0:24:22 > 0:24:28Frances, the landlord who works as a cleaner, has now been trying to get
0:24:28 > 0:24:37her tenant out the five months.Tell me what the update is.OK, so we've
0:24:37 > 0:24:43received a defence form in from the court informing us that the tenant
0:24:43 > 0:24:48wishes to stay longer in the property. This isn't unusual for
0:24:48 > 0:24:52section 21.The tenants now asked the court to delay the eviction
0:24:52 > 0:24:57because he has nowhere to go.The maximum they can get is about 42
0:24:57 > 0:25:03days which is about six weeks.He wants to stay because I am his third
0:25:03 > 0:25:07landlord, he has already been evicted twice beforehand.
0:25:07 > 0:25:10Unfortunately, if the judge upholds his defence, it means we now have to
0:25:10 > 0:25:17move on to a separate lawyer, and that is going to cost more time and
0:25:17 > 0:25:23more money. Probably a lot more money. It's worrying, it's
0:25:23 > 0:25:26infuriating and extremely stressful.
0:25:32 > 0:25:36In London, it's almost four weeks since Laura and her family were
0:25:36 > 0:25:43evicted. After a week in a bed and breakfast, the council found them
0:25:43 > 0:25:46another temporary home to rent.
0:25:50 > 0:25:59Hello, Laura, nice to see you again. Come in.How are you? This is the
0:25:59 > 0:26:04new place, then?
0:26:04 > 0:26:09new place, then? All right, guys? How are you doing?We are just being
0:26:09 > 0:26:19nice to each other.Let's all be nice to each other. For Amira and
0:26:19 > 0:26:23older brother Aiden, moving home means moving school again.
0:26:23 > 0:26:31Tomorrow's our last day.What do you think, Aiden, about the new school.
0:26:31 > 0:26:35Upsetting because I can't see my friends.Is it sad you can't see
0:26:35 > 0:26:40them again?Yeah, but I'll be able to make new friends.I think you'll
0:26:40 > 0:26:46make lots of new friends. The eviction and moving meant Laura
0:26:46 > 0:26:55missed a lot of work. She lost her office job. And you've got the space
0:26:55 > 0:27:01now? The family don't have their furniture. They didn't get it out in
0:27:01 > 0:27:06time when they were evicted and now the landlord is ignoring their calls
0:27:06 > 0:27:13so the children are sleeping on the floor.As a parent, it's really hard
0:27:13 > 0:27:20to give your kids a kiss good night and send them off to the floor.
0:27:20 > 0:27:26It's, you know, heartbreaking sometimes.What do you think now
0:27:26 > 0:27:35when you think of section 21? section 21, I don't think it has any
0:27:35 > 0:27:41value. I'd like to see a valid reason given for the eviction that
0:27:41 > 0:27:49has to stand up in court.
0:27:52 > 0:27:57This cot is the only piece of furniture in the house. The two
0:27:57 > 0:28:03young ones have to share.I just want to sleep with Poosey because he
0:28:03 > 0:28:10loves me.
0:28:14 > 0:28:19As a nation, we depend on private landlords. They say they need
0:28:19 > 0:28:28no-fault evictions. But, for millions of tenants, that means no
0:28:28 > 0:28:32security, and no place they can really call home.