More than 14,000 claims to evict tenants made in last three months of 2021

Some 14,433 county court claims were made by landlords across England and Wales between October and December 2021 to evict tenants, according to Government figures.

This was up by 41% compared with the previous quarter.

However, the total was still significantly down by 43% compared with the same quarter in 2019, before the coronavirus crisis struck.

The Ministry of Justice, which released the figures, said caution should be used when interpreting the data.

It said “the recovery in civil courts continues” following coronavirus policy responses which led to low levels of repossession actions.

The average time from a claim being made to a landlord repossession is just over 42 weeks – double the typical 21-week period two years earlier.

Private landlord claims made up 41% of claims in the latest quarter.

The report said this contrasts with previous quarters. In October to December 2019, the majority of all landlord repossession claims were social landlord claims.

A survey of private renters for Shelter found nearly a quarter (24%) were behind on their rent or constantly struggling to pay it and nearly a third (32%) had to cut back on food for them or their partner in the previous month.

One in six (17%) had fallen behind on paying their energy bills in the previous month.

Osama Bhutta, director of campaigns at Shelter, said: “Soaring inflation and rocketing energy bills may be the final straw for many renters struggling to keep a roof over their heads.”