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Boris Johnson’s up for grabs parliamentary seat is one of the worst in the country for ‘unfair’ evictions a campaign group reveals.

But his Labour neighbour is no example.

Generation Rent identifies tenants in the Prime Minister’s local authority, Hillingdon, as the 6th most at risk of losing their home on no-fault grounds – with 20 in every 1000 private renter households owed a homelessness duty.

The 2017 election saw Johnson retain Uxbridge and South Ruislip despite a 13.6% increase in Labour’s vote share which brought  his majority down to 5,034 – less than half his 2015 margin and the lowest for a Tory candidate in the area since 2001.

McDonnell represents the borough’s other constituency, Hayes & Harlington.

Findings based on MHCLG data, also spotlight the seat of shadow chancellor John McDonnell – Johnson’s neighbour in Hayes & Harlington – as a high risk for arbitrary eviction.

Citing its analysis as evidence, Generation Rent says the next government could reduce homelessness cases by 10% should it protect tenants from no-fault evictions.

That, said Generation Rent Dan Wilson Craw, meant manifesto commitments to abolishing Section 21.

“For private renters, the most common reason for becoming homeless is that your landlord wants to sell or simply re-let the property.

Landlords don’t have to prove grounds or help you move – it’s left to tenants themselves and councils to cover the costs.

In this way, the law prioritises the pursuit of profit over the need for a home,” said Wilson Craw.

“The next government would dramatically reduce homelessness by abolishing Section 21 evictions, making landlords foot the tenant’s bill if they want to sell, and making it easier for renters receiving benefits to pay market rents,” he said.

Private tenants in the election battleground seats of Corby, Milton Keynes, Enfield and Crawley are shown by the analysis to be among the worst-affected by homelessness caused by Section 21.

The analysis shows tenants in the London Borough of Havering were most at risk of their landlord selling up or reletting, with 39 in every 1000 private renter households being owed a homelessness duty by the council for these reasons in 2018-19.

Corby had the second highest rate, with 25 renters in every 1000 facing homelessness.

Homelessness figures from MHCLG show that of 263,720 households that faced homelessness in 2018-19, 28,320 (10.7%) were being evicted because their landlord was selling up, reletting the property or responding to a complaint by the tenant about disrepair.

The May government pledged to abolish Section 21 and a consultation on the details ended last month.

Labour and the Liberal Democrats also support the policy.

A further 14,940 (5.7%) of homelessness cases were the result of rent arrears.

Changes to housing benefit in recent years have made it harder for recipients to pay the rent and a freeze of Local Housing Allowance means many tenants can’t cover rent rises – as the five-week wait for Universal Credit pushes them deeper into arrears.

One in four private renters receives housing benefit, but stats show just one in 20 private rented homes is affordable to someone receiving housing benefit.

Generation Rent acknowledges other reasons as to why people lose their home, but maintains a common reason for many to seek their council’s help is the difficulty of finding a private tenancy when many landlords and letting agents discriminate against people in receipt of benefits.

Homelessness costs local authorities £1.1bn per year, and they face a funding gap of £110m in 2019-20.

Alongside ACORN, London Renters Union, New Economics Foundation, Renters Rights London and

Tenants Union UK, Generation Rent has published a Renter Manifesto to encourage parties to adopt policies to improve life for private renters.

The policies include:

  • A commitment to end Section 21 evictions and require landlords who evict to sell to pay their tenant’s costs of moving home
  • Changes to the benefits system so that recipients are able to keep a roof over their head, including linking local housing allowance to 30% of local rents and ending the delay for receiving Universal Credit
  • Legally binding guidance on the Equality Act that prohibits discrimination against people receiving benefits

The Landlords Alliance hit back with a manifesto of its own offering an “alternative, positive” agenda.