Evictions by borough

This map shows how eviction rates for renting households differ across boroughs. Enfield had the highest eviction rate in 2015/16 (and 2014/15) of 30 evictions per 1,000 renting households.  Barking and Dagenham was the next highest with a rate of 29 while Camden had the lowest rate of 5 evictions (per 1,000 renting households). 

The highest eviction rates are mostly concentrated in Outer London: nine of the ten boroughs with the highest eviction rates are in Outer London.  Seven of the ten boroughs with the highest eviction rates in 2014/15 are still in the top ten in 2015/16. Waltham Forest, Barnet’s and Bexley’s eviction rates declined (by 3 evictions per 1,000 renting households for Waltham forest and Barnet, and 1 eviction per 1,000 renting households for Bexley), and they are no longer in the top ten this year.  Barking and Dagenham had the largest rate increase of any London borough, from 21 evictions in 2014/15 to 29 in 2015/16, followed by Brent with an increase from 20 to 27.     

High eviction rates seem to occur in boroughs with high proportions of families with children living in the private rental sector receiving housing benefit. In Enfield, one quarter of all children in the borough are in this situation. Welfare changes, mostly notably the lowering of rate of Local Housing Allowance (LHA) in 2011 and the benefit cap introduced in 2013 (and lowered further in 2016) have made the private rental sector precarious for low-income families. Private tenants receiving Housing Benefit in London have a particularly high risk of falling into arrears, as high London rents will mean many of these families will face a shortfall between their housing benefit and their rent since these reductions in the value of payable housing benefit.  

It is therefore worrying that the proportion of families in London receiving housing benefit in the private rental sector is growing – from one quarter (25%) in 2008 to almost a third (31%) in 2016. A lack of social housing means more low-income people are likely to find themselves in the private rented sector, and facing a greater risk of eviction.