Monday, July 29, 2024

Lib Dem MP received eviction notice the day after he was elected

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The last Conservative government, as it's increasingly being called, promised to get rid of no-fault evictions of private tenants, but never got round to doing so.

Which was a shame for Olly Glover, who received an eviction notice the day after he was elected as the Liberal Democrat MP for Didcot and Wantage.

BBC News has reported his experience:

Mr Glover, who has been renting his current home in Milton for four years, said "no fault evictions" create a "huge pressure" for renters.

He said he believed there was a cultural problem in the UK where housing is seen primarily as an asset and secondarily as an affordable necessity.

Mr Glover said he supported government plans to strengthen tenant rights.

"It was completely unexpected," he said, reflecting on the morning that he received the letter.

The MP said he had no issue with his landlords, but would like to see a process whereby homeowners have a discussion with renters, to work out a timescale, before they issue a no-fault eviction notice.

I'm sure Olly will be all right, but these evictions do contribute to homelessness. A Lib Dem press release from February of this year set out the figures:

The party has warned that thousands more families risk being left without a home if the government continues to delay its plans to ban no-fault evictions after 6,580 households were threatened with homelessness due to a no fault eviction notice, a 3.1 per cent increase on the previous year. 

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