No-fault evictions: ‘Renting reforms have come too late for me and my kids’

“If it had happened a couple of months ago, that would’ve been good news for me and my kids, we probably would have still been where we were.”

The government’s planning to bring in a new law that would ban landlords from evicting tenants for no reason.

But it’s come too late for mum-of-two Naz Bajeh, 25, who was kicked out of her rented property in March.

“The landlord literally just wanted her property back. No anti-social behaviour, no rent arrears, nothing like that,” she tells Newsbeat.

“I just got an eviction notice through the post one day and I’m thinking ‘what the hell’s going on?’

“I’ve got a two-year-old and a seven-year-old. And we’re now homeless.”

Currently a piece of housing legislation – known as Section 21 – means landlords can evict tenants without giving a reason.

If the new bill becomes law, it’ll get rid of no-fault evictions and end bans on tenants claiming benefits.

That’s something else Naz has come across since she’s been looking for a new place to live.

“Many times landlords have said no, because I’ve got two young kids under the age of 10,” she says.

“They have refused me for being on benefits as well.”

Naz had been living in the same property in Southend for seven years before she was evicted.

She says her two-year-old daughter keeps saying “I want to go home, I want to go mummy’s house”.

The family are now living in a hostel and Naz says it’s really difficult to find somewhere to rent once you lose your home.

“I have always worked, I’ve always been in education. But obviously, when you’re homeless and stuff it’s hard to maintain a job and mental health and everything,” she says.

“Landlords just don’t want to give people a chance in the UK, you’ve got to be earning so and so much.

“You’ve got to have a guarantor who’s earning so and so much. And in this day and age, how many people do you know that earn legit money 50k a year?

“Unless you’re one of those privileged people but for someone like me, no.”

When Newsbeat spoke to Housing Secretary Michael Gove earlier, he said the bill would make sure renters are “protected from the very small minority of rogue landlords who use the threat of no-fault eviction to silence tenants who want to complain about poor conditions”.

He also said he hoped it would become law by the end of the year.

But for Naz that’s too late, and she says she just wants someone to give her a chance.

“It’s been really hard. No-one’s really willing to give us a chance. I’ve been on multiple viewings, viewed over 20 properties I’d say.

“Some of them don’t even want to give me the viewing. It is really disheartening and it does have a real big impact on people’s mental health.

“To go from having your own place, having it how you want, doing what you want in it, leaving it when you want to just have nothing.

“It’s just been really difficult.”

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