The number of people being booted out of their homes through no fault of their own has risen.

The Government is looking to ban what is known as Section 21 evictions.

More homes were repossessed by landlords through Section 21 claims in the borough last year, new figures show.

This week the Government announced so-called 'no-fault' evictions would be abolished as part of the Renters' (Reform) Bill.

New figures from the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities show 42 repossessions were made through 'accelerated possession orders' in Bolton in the year to March – up from 12 the year before.

Billa Ahmed, Homeless Aid UK's co-founder, said: “It is disgusting how people have been getting these Section 21’s and how some greedy landlords go out of their ways to get more rent and they are using this as an excuse as well.

“We are getting phone calls every week from families who are getting notices for Section 21 evictions, and they are being asked to be removed from their premises.

“There is a lot of it happening and with rent going up and demand for homes I think greedy landlords are giving Section 21’s to get rid of tenants.

“People are telling us that they feel like there is nothing that they can do about it and there is nowhere they can turn so I think that more information should be made available.

“If people need support, they can visit the housing options team or Citizens Advice.

“Personally, I think it should be abolished sooner, the statistics and the numbers that we have seen of homeless people is getting more and more.

“In Bolton if you get made homeless and try to apply for another home, there are thousands of people who are also applying for a very small number of homes.

“Families and individuals across Bolton are being served Section 21’s and they are telling us they are having to sleep on friend’s sofas with their children because they have no other choice.

“It is unfair for people to be evicted with the use of Section 21.”

The number of repossessions through Section 21 has nearly doubled across England and Wales, rising from just over 4,026 in the year to March 2022 to 8,048 in 2022-23.

This has also topped the 7,742 recorded before the pandemic.

Separate figures, also from DLUHC, show 5,120 households were given homelessness duties after being served with a Section 21 notice in the last three months of 2022 – 20 of them in Bolton.

This was down slightly from the same period in 2021, when 5,420 were presenting as homeless.

Polly Neate, chief executive of housing charity Shelter, called the bill a "breakthrough".

She said: "Private renters have been waiting a long time to see unfair no-fault evictions abolished.

“Since the Government first promised to do this in 2019, 61,000 households have had to face the courts and endure the fear, the panic, and the threat of homelessness that Section 21 evictions cause.

"But for the bill to work, loopholes cannot be created for unfair evictions to carry on via the backdoor.

“The Government must ensure when landlords do seek to take their property back that they provide sufficient proof their intentions are legitimate, notice periods are long enough to protect tenants from homelessness, and there are big penalties for misuse.”

Dan Wilson Craw, acting director of Generation Rent, a campaign group which represents private renters, described the Renters' (Reform) Bill as a "positive step", but said it needs robust safeguards to prevent abuse by landlords.

He added the local housing allowance failing to keep up with rent has particularly harmed renters in London.

He said: "The Government cannot let more families face homelessness because of rising bills, so must restore the link between benefits and rents."

A DLUHC spokesperson said: “Our reforms will abolish Section 21 evictions – giving tenants more security and empowering them to challenge unfair rent increases.

“Only a minority of evictions end up in the courts but we’re reforming the process to reduce delays, ensuring the new tenancy systems works for landlords and tenants."

If you have a story or something you would like to highlight in the community, please email me at chloe.wilson@newsquest.co.uk or DM me on Twitter @chloewjourno.