I wanted to bring this story to you because, frankly, it’s heart wrenching but also terrifying.

This couple, from the UK, have been renting their home with a private landlord, i.e. not a council or housing association rental. They have been served with a Section 21 which means they are about to become homeless through no fault of their own. If you are like me and have never heard of this before, I found a blurb about it online which summarises it:

A Section 21 eviction notice in the UK is a legal document used by landlords to evict tenants without needing to provide a specific reason. It is governed by Section 21 of the Housing Act 1988 and allows landlords to regain possession of their property after a fixed-term tenancy or during a periodic tenancy. The notice must be served using the correct form, Form 6A, and must provide at least two months’ notice to the tenant, with longer periods required if the rental agreement specifies a longer notice period. Landlords must ensure they have followed all legal requirements, such as deposit protection and providing necessary certificates, to make the notice valid.

Basically, through no fault of your own, a private landlord can evict you.

I did see that the Government actually hopes to have this practise banned by the Summer of 2025 – but that doesn’t help this couple. The husband works in retail and is stressed out of his mind, as you would expect and his wife is unable to work due to her mental health issues:

There is some help available if you find yourself in this situation. Shelter England gives a lot of advice on their website – especially about what to look for which may make the section 21 INVALID and I would urge anyone to speak to them if they find themselves in this situation. You can read more about it here: https://england.shelter.org.uk/housing_advice/eviction/section_21_eviction