Rental evictions almost double in run up to Christmas

The number of people forced out of rented homes by landlords at the end of last year soared by 98%, data shows.

Repossessions by landlords hit 5,409 between October and December, almost double the number in the same period in 2021, the Ministry of Justice said.

There was also an overall increase in landlords taking action against tenants.

Lucie, a single mother of four, spoke of her despair at being forced out of the home she has lived in for 14 years.

"Anybody who is in the same situation as me, I feel you - because you just feel like you're on your own and you are dying, you're drowning," she told the BBC.

The 41-year-old, who lives in Bristol with her children, has a job selling new build homes. "The irony," she says.

Lucie has been forced to leave because her landlord is selling the property.

"If I went and rented somewhere else, somewhere exactly the same as this, it would be £1,650," she said, which is something she just can't afford.

Although the council found emergency accommodation for Lucie and her family in the end, it is only temporary and they could soon be forced to move again.

"There is a lack of understanding from many landlords [about] the impact that it has on a family," said Harriet Goodland, head of the advice service at the charity Housing Matters.

"I think a lot of landlords are under pressure as well financially."

The Ministry of Justice said that while the figures remain below pre-Covid levels, "numbers have risen steadily since restrictions ended".

Ms Goodland said: "I've spoken to several people who have been suicidal on the phone. Just last week, we had to call an ambulance for somebody.

"It gets to that urgent, crisis point far too often."

Matt Downie, chief executive of Crisis, the homelessness charity, said: "The devastating impact of the cost-of-living crisis, rising rents and low wages has once again been laid bare as thousands more renters are faced with eviction and the very real threat of being left with nowhere to go."