Big increase in private tenant repossessions

Local charity, Exeter Citizens Advice Bureau, is reporting a worrying 34% increase in private sector tenant repossession cases.

This is in comparison with the same period last year and shows that pressure on household budgets continues to hit hard.

Across all housing sectors, where a CAB adviser has assisted clients facing repossession, clients have avoided repossession in 80% of cases.

Exeter City Council has provided financial support for this essential service.

Steve Barriball, Exeter Citizens Advice Bureau Chief Executive, said: “We have at least one adviser present at the Court each Tuesday morning to advise and advocate for clients.

"So far this financial year there have been 564 cases listed for repossession, an overall decrease on the previous year of 9.0%.

"There have been reductions across mortgage and housing association sectors, and small increase of 0.8% in the local authority sector. However, the private rented sector has bucked the downward trend with an increase of 34%. There was an average of around 15 cases listed across all housing sectors each week.”  

Steve explained: “The increase in private sector housing repossessions is marked and is a clear indication that, for some households, they are still struggling to meet the costs of essential items such as their rent. ”

Steve finished by saying: “I am grateful to the workforce of the Bureau for providing this essential service to families facing repossession. We are also grateful to Exeter City Council for funding this service”.