Private tenancy evictions up by 17% | Money | guardian.co.uk

Private tenancy evictions up by 17% | Money | guardian.co.uk

The number of tenants being evicted through the courts by private landlords has increased by 17% since the credit crunch began at the end of 2007.

Analysis of possession order claims by legal information specialist Sweet & Maxwell shows that 14,895 were launched in county courts by private landlords in 2011 compared to 12,686 in 2008. A possession order legally entitles a landlord to evict a tenant and regain possession of a property.

The firm says unemployment and rising rents are likely to have caused the increase in tenant evictions. Rents have risen by 8% since 2009, reaching a record high at the end of 2011, according to the LSL rental index.