A RISING number of people face eviction amid a worsening cost of living crisis in Cumbria, the News & Star can reveal.

Eviction claims from landlords and mortgage companies are at the highest level since the coronavirus pandemic, quarterly figures show.

And those turfed out of their homes as a result may struggle to afford the unexpected costs of having to find somewhere else to live, housing charity Shelter has warned.

Repossession courts in Cumbria received 84 claims between January and March – up from 59 the previous quarter and a rise from just 35 during the same period last year.

Judges handed down 60 outright possession orders that quarter, granting the landlords or companies the right to apply for a warrant to evict their tenants.

In comparison, 83 outright orders were granted throughout the entirety of 2021.

And during the three months, 20 homes were successfully repossessed – around a third of the total repossessed throughout last year.

Eviction claims fell significantly in 2020 when measures were introduced to prevent evictions during the coronavirus pandemic.

However, they have steadily climbed since the restrictions were lifted, according to the latest Ministry of Justice figures.

Polly Neate, Shelter’s chief executive, said: “It’s alarming that as the living cost crisis rages more landlords are kicking tenants out of their homes.

“These are real people whose lives are being turned upside down and simply cannot afford to lose their homes right now.”

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Shelter is calling on the Government to urgently bring forward laws that would scrap Section 21 ‘no fault’ evictions, which see tenants given as little as eight weeks to leave their homes.

Section 21 related eviction claims have risen in Cumbria – from four in the first quarter of 2021 to 17 in the first quarter of this year.

Earlier this year, MP Tim Farron warned of a “disturbing” increase in Cumbrian households being kicked out of their homes by landlords who go onto list their properties as holiday rentals with more earning potential.

Referring to the trend as ‘the Lakeland clearances’ he told The Northern Agenda podcast that the less well-off were struggling to live locally as a result.

He called for changes to planning laws to force landlords to seek permission before changing their property into a holiday let or Airbnb.

The MP for Westmorland and Lonsdale added: “I’ve come across a couple in Ambleside – both work locally, neither very well paid, two small children.

“They had a perfectly nice flat above shops in the village centre and they were given their notice to leave.

“They were paying something like £800 a month for this place and they were out on their ear.”

He told the podcast they later found their old property on Airnb for £1,200 a week.

Ms Neate said the scrapping of Section 21 evictions alone would not solve the cost-of-living crisis for renters but would give some more security in their homes.

She added: “Every day our emergency helpline supports renters who are scrambling around trying to find another home after being slapped with a no-fault eviction.

“But soaring living costs mean many are struggling to stump up the cash for a house move they don’t want to make.”

Outlined in the Queen’s Speech earlier this month, the Government’s proposals for a Renters’ Reform Bill would see Section 21 evictions scrapped.

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