'We've been evicted just two days before ban came in'

A mother of four children has said she fears her family could end up homeless after their landlords served them a "no-fault" eviction notice just two days before a government ban on the practice came into force.

Lindsey Reeves, 42, is a tenant of the Holy Trinity Properties Trust, which funds the religious work of a church in their home city of Ripon, North Yorkshire.

Section 21 evictions - when a landlord does not have to provide a reason for their actions - were outlawed under the new Renters' Rights Act from 1 May.

Reeves, who has lived in her flat for four years, said the family were "devastated" and had been good tenants. The trust told the BBC it was acting on the advice of its letting agent.

However, the agency said it acts under instruction from its clients.

Under the new legislation, which is aimed at improving the rights of tenants, landlords wishing to evict a renter must state a reason such as them being in arrears, anti-social behaviour or because the owner is selling the property or moving into it themselves.

Any Section 21 notice issued before the 1 May deadline remains valid.

Reeves said: “It floored us, we have always paid our rent and we have looked after the property, even improved it.

“To be served a no-fault eviction, because we are not at fault in any way, is just awful for anyone to be put through.”

New figures gathered by estate agents Savills show the number of properties for sale in Yorkshire and Humber rose by 5.1% between 2024 and 2026 as private landlords sold up in anticipation of the changes.

This led to 14.3% fall in available rentals over the same period.

Ann MacAlevey is the owner of Intercity Accommodation Agency, a property letting company based in Leeds for 40 years.

She has advised governments on previous housing acts and said it was increasingly hard for people to find a new place to rent.

She said: “We haven’t had anything available since September of last year and we are approaching our busiest time of year, and there is absolutely nothing to let.

“There just isn’t the property out there.”

Reeves and her husband, whose children are aged between two and 14, have also found a lack of supply when they tried to search for a new home.

They must leave their flat by July, when their notice period ends.

She said: “It’s not something anyone wants to be faced with, especially when you are only given two months' notice to uproot your whole entire life.

“The market is just horrendous. There is nothing available at all and rents are astronomical at the moment.

“I don’t know what we are going to do. I don’t know where we are going to go.”

She said the family were on the waiting list for accommodation in a homeless shelter.

Profits from the property trust that owns their three-bedroom apartment go to support the work of Holy Trinity Church in Ripon.

This falls under the Church of England's Diocese of Leeds, which said in a statement that the property trust is an independent organisation and not run by church officers.

Reeves said she did not know why her family was being evicted, but they had raised various issues with the maintenance of the Victorian property, including repeatedly asking for windows to be repaired.

Some of the windows in their have been replaced, but others are still in a poor condition.

She said there had been leaks in the children's bedrooms but they had been repaired after some time.

The Property Ombudsman had also found in the family’s favour over an issue with the letting agency in May 2025.

Robert Thew, chair of the church trust which owns the apartment block, said: “Decisions about individual tenancies are taken by the Holy Trinity Properties Trust acting on the advice of our letting agents Linley and Simpson.”

Linley and Simpson said it did not comment on individual tenancies.

A statement said: “As the managing letting agent, our role is to act on behalf of our landlord clients and, upon instruction, ensure legal notices are served in line with the relevant requirements.”

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