Renter eviction reaches record high of 43,000 in 2015

250 renters were evicted every day in 2015

250 renters were evicted every day in 2015 (Getty)

The number of renters evicted from their homes reached a record high of 42,728 in 2015 in England and Wales, the highest number since records began in 2000.

The number of eviction has gone up by 53 per cent from 2010, the equivalent of more than 250 evictions a day, Ministry of Justice figures show.

Sixteen out of the 20 worst hit localities were in London.

People living in the borough Newham, in East London, were more likely to get evicted, with repossession figures equivalent to 191 for each 100,000 households.

Shelter said housing benefit caps and expensive private rents are behind the spike in evictions.

“These figures are yet another reminder of our drastic shortage of affordable homes, which is leaving millions of people trapped in expensive and unstable private renting,” Campbell Robb, chief executive of Shelter, told the Independent.

“Families across the country are becoming increasingly priced out, and spending so much money on rent that it’s virtually impossible to save anything towards a home of their own,“ he added.

First-time buyers in 2016 will have already spent an average £52,900 on rent, data from the Association of Residential Letting Agents revealed on Friday.

The figures were calculated on the basis that the typical first-time buyer is aged 31, and would have spent 13 years renting since leaving the family home.

Betsy Dillner, director of the campaign group Generation Rent, told The Independent that more legislation for the rental market would be welcomed by tenants.

“If we had rent controls and better protection from eviction, renters could enjoy stability now – and fewer people would be so desperate to buy,” Dillner said.

The Government announced plans to directly facilitate the construction of 13,000 homes outside London and thousands more within the capital in January.

There are plans for a new £1.2 billion fund to pay for 30,000 “affordable” starter homes on brownfield land.

Roger Hading said this might not be enough.

“With one of the government’s so-called ‘affordable’ Starter Homes still needing a £40,000 deposit, it’s clear that David Cameron needs to start prioritising building homes that people on low and average incomes can actually afford to rent or buy,” he said.