Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, how many eviction notices have been issued in each week since March 1 2020.

The Government does not collect information on the number of notices landlords issue to tenants indicating a desire to regain possession of their property.

Where a landlord serves a valid notice on Assured Shorthold Tenancy, the landlord can only lawfully regain possession by using the county court process unless the tenant chooses to vacate the property.

The Mortgage and Landlord Repossession Statistics record the number of claims for possession brought by landlords in the county court. The latest statistics (Figure 9) show the number of claims for possession issued on a weekly basis from the week commencing 3 February until the week commencing 23 March. The statistics are available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/mortgage-and-landlord-possession-statistics-january-to-march-2020.

The Government, along with the courts service, has delivered unprecedented support to protect tenants from eviction during the Coronavirus emergency. Emergency legislation is now in place so that landlords will not be able to start proceedings to evict their tenants for at least a three-month period. The Master of the Rolls, with the agreement of the Lord Chancellor, also suspended?all ongoing and new housing possession cases for 90 days?from 27 March 2020. As a result of these measures, no tenant in private or social accommodation needs to be concerned about the threat of eviction during this time.