Evictions and housing management: Toward more effective strategies

The study found that many tenants were effectively evicted or left prior to any formal action being taken by landlords. The majority of evictees do not appear to contest their eviction, reporting a sense of helplessness/ powerlessness. The respondents often see eviction as regrettable but unavoidable. In many instances these tenancies may have been retained if the tenant had engaged with the appropriate processes – a Tribunal or the Magistrates Court. Private tenants facing eviction were more likely to leave early than public tenants. This may reflect the fact that the public sector is seen as much less likely to see an eviction process through to completion, or it could reflect the higher value attached to public rental housing by low income groups. Further, approximately 70 per cent of the evictees interviewed were on a government provided statutory income prior to eviction and this rose to 90 per cent after eviction. There was also a noticeable tendency for evicted persons to move from private rental housing and seek assistance from the public rental sector after eviction