Almost two dozen more property repossession claims in Wigan made in lead-up to Christmas

Housing charity Shelter said renters cannot wait any longer for government action – particularly on Section 21 no-fault evictions, which allow landlords to remove tenants without a reason – as more and more people are being forced from their homes.

Ministry of Justice data shows 84 claims to repossess property in Wigan were lodged by mortgage lenders and landlords from October to December last year.

Of the claims, 21 were for homes owned by mortgage-holders while the rest were to evict tenants.

It means there were 20 more claims in the latest quarter than over the same period in 2021, when 64 were submitted.

Despite this rise, there were still fewer bids to remove people from their homes than in 2019, before the coronavirus pandemic – 152 claims were lodged between October and December that year.

Across England and Wales, nearly 23,600 possession claims were made in a bid to evict people in the final months of 2022 – up significantly from 17,000 the same time the year before.

However, it was still down from the final quarter of 2019, when 31,700 claims were made.

Polly Neate, chief executive of Shelter, said every eviction notice brings "fear and uncertainty" and that a lack of social homes has resulted in heightened demand for “overpriced and unstable" private rentals.

Ms Neate added: "Every day we hear from desperate families who have been served with no-fault eviction notices for daring to complain about poor conditions, or because their landlord wants to cash in on rising rents.

“The government has long promised it would scrap Section 21. Renters can’t wait any longer, the Renters’ Reform Bill is ready to go - it’s time the government stopped stalling and changed the law.”

In the final quarter of 2022, over 1,900 households were evicted by bailiffs via Section 21 proceedings – more than double the 790 from the same period in 2021.

The figures show in the latest period, tenants were evicted from their homes in Wigan on 17 occasions – putting them among the 5,400 tenant evictions across England and Wales.

Of them, four evictions in the area were carried out by court ordered bailiffs as a result of Section 21 proceedings.

A Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities spokesperson said they recognise both renters and homeowners are struggling with the cost of living.

They added: “Ensuring a fair deal for renters remains a priority for the government. We will deliver our commitment to abolish section 21 ‘no fault’ evictions as soon as we can in this Parliament – protecting 1.3 million families – and have provided £366 million for local councils to help prevent evictions and provide temporary accommodation.