The Retaliatory Eviction Deregulation Act is supposed to halt cases of revenge evictions, but statistics show that it's more complicated than it seems. An English Housing Survey reveals that there are 9 million people who reside in rented homes.
Surprisingly, about 30 percent of these leased homes don't even meet the governments Decent Homes standard. This is why there are dozens of cases where tenants complain to their landlords due to the poor conditions of their rented establishments.
These complaints range from pipe leaks, faulty wires, electrical problems to damp patches on the walls. Before the retaliatory eviction deregulation act was implemented in 2015, tenants are powerless when they receive a section 21 eviction notice.
This leaves the tenants with no other choice but to leave their apartments and live out on the streets. However, the Retaliatory Eviction Deregulation act was supposed to fix this problem since it makes revenge evictions illegal.
Unfortunately, a wide margin of the problem still persists among rented homes in England. According to a report from BBC, only a mere 19 percent of the local council were able to stop at least 1 illegal revenge eviction.
More than half of the local councils responded with "none" and 26 percent indicated that they don't record information regarding revenge evictions. Though the statistical figures appear surprising, this might be due to the complicated nature of the Retaliatory Eviction Deregulation act.
According to Shelter, a tenant must first file either a written complaint or via Email to their landlord. Tenants with repair complaints can also direct their concern to the local council.
However, verbal complaints to the landlord, either personally or through the phone, does not count. If the local council does not send a "hazard notice" to the land lord, the tenant is still at risk. Failure to follow the procedure of the act makes the tenant still liable for a Section 21 eviction notice.
The Housing Law Practitioners Association were worried that the Retaliatory Eviction Deregulation Act is designed in a too complicated manner. The National Landlords Association said that the anti revenge eviction law does little to solve the problem.
A Labor parliament member even complained that the problem persists in landlords who avoid their duties and responsibilities. It's reported that some tenants fear being evicted and living out on the streets, so they opt to stay silent despite their poor living conditions just to have a home to live in.
