Social landlords will be able to evict domestic abusers under a new law proposed by the government, which also seeks to better protect abuse victims from homelessness.
The landmark Social Housing Bill, which returned to Parliament this week for its second reading, would give landlords and courts the ability to evict perpetrators of domestic abuse from social housing without the victim having to leave first.
Currently, landlords can only evict an abuser after the victim has already left the home. In joint tenancies, the only option for the victim is to end the tenancy – potentially leaving them homeless.
The bill also closes a loophole that previously let abusers serve a notice to quit to make victims homeless.
Under the proposed new law, a notice to quit served by a perpetrator will not end the social housing joint tenancy while court proceedings are ongoing.
For joint tenancies, courts will be able to transfer the tenancy into the victim’s sole name or require the landlord to provide suitable alternative accommodation.
Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer said: “No victim of domestic abuse should face the awful choice between staying in danger or losing their home.
“This government is putting that right, so perpetrators are forced out and survivors and their children can stay safely in the homes and communities they know and love.”
The government’s domestic abuse commissioner, Dame Nicole Jacobs, said: “Alongside survivors and campaigners, I have been calling for action to be taken to stop perpetrators from weaponising joint tenancies – and I’m pleased to see that the government has listened.
“People experiencing domestic abuse need safety and stability in order to recover and rebuild free from harm. This will be an important step towards that for many.”
Nicki Clarke, head of the Domestic Abuse Housing Alliance, said the changes represent an important and long overdue step forward and have potential to transform the lives of many domestic abuse victims.
She added: “Domestic abuse typically takes place in the home and it is where most women are killed. By enabling landlords to safeguard victims and hold the perpetrators of abuse to account, these reforms will enable domestic abuse victims, including children, to achieve safety, stability and long-term housing security.”
However Ellie Butt, head of policy and public affairs at Refuge, said the protections offered in the bill could be limited.
“Although the measures in the Social Housing Bill represent an important step forward, Refuge is concerned that the protections will be limited by the narrow range of offences included in the mandatory grounds for eviction. Given the extremely low proportion of perpetrators who are arrested, charged, and convicted, linking housing rights to the criminal justice system risks creating a significant barrier for survivors.
“On top of this, the bill in its current form does not contain any clear obligations for landlords to use these stronger powers. The government must provide greater detail around how landlords will be expected and encouraged to use these measures in practice. Similarly, we need urgent clarity on where perpetrators will go once they have been removed, and how survivors will be kept safe. There is a significant risk that perpetrators who are displaced may seek to retaliate against the survivor, who they might hold responsible. It is paramount that there are safeguards in place to prevent this.”
Last year, around 15,000 households in England were forced to find a new social home because of domestic abuse.
The new bill is also intended to repair long-term decline in social housing via an overhaul of Right to Buy. More than two million homes have been sold under the scheme since 1980, with many never replaced. Between 2012 and 2025, around 133,000 council homes were sold, with 51,000 replacements. There are 1.3 million households on waiting lists for social homes and more than 175,000 children are living in temporary accommodation.
Right to Buy reforms will see eligibility rise from three to 10 years, newly built social homes protected for 35 years, hard-to-replace rural homes will be exempt, and discount rules will be updated to reflect the cash discounts cap introduced in November 2024.
