Section 21 evictions, or no-fault evictions, reached 32,387 last year, the highest level since 2016.
This is up from around 30,230 no-fault evictions in 2023 and compares to the high of 33,522 in 2016.
The report found that, in the fourth quarter of last year, there were 7,690 claims under Section 21, a fall from Q3 but the highest Q4 figure since 2015, when Q4 figures stood at 8,867.
Section 21 ‘no-fault’ evictions allow landlords to evict a tenant without offering a reason and can remove them from the property within two months.
The Renters’ Rights Bill, which is currently in the House of Lords, will abolish no-fault evictions and includes a raft of rental reforms.
Generation Rent warned that while no-fault evictions would be banned, selling the home and moving in will be valid grounds for eviction and landlords will be able to raise rent in line with rents on new tenancies, meaning that rent can outpace income.
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The body is calling on the government to require landlords using new no-fault grounds to cover their tenants’ cost of moving and limit rate increases to the lower of wage growth or inflation.
Ben Twomey, chief executive of Generation Rent, said: “For the thousands of renters facing a Section 21 in 2024, the Renters’ Rights Bill will be too late. They have faced the stress and expense of finding a new place to live, and uprooting their lives on their landlord’s whim.
“The reforms mean landlords will need to demonstrate a valid reason for eviction in future, and give their tenants more time to move when selling or moving back in. But renters will still bear the cost of moving for reasons beyond our control. And we are still vulnerable to unaffordable rent rises.
“The government must take the opportunity to strengthen protections for tenants by requiring landlords who want to move in or sell to cover the cost of their tenant’s relocation, and limiting rent rises to the lower of wage growth or inflation.”
