Domestic abusers will be evicted under landmark new housing law

Landlords have been given new powers to evict perpetrators of domestic violence from social housing. Decades of sales of new social homes have come to a halt as right-to-buy rules are overhauled and tightened. The Government has supported £39 billion investment in social and affordable housing. This is the largest number in a generation.

Abusers can be kicked out of social housing and victims can live safely in their communities under new groundbreaking social housing legislation, which is referred to parliament for second reading today (Monday 1 June).

New protections will allow landlords and courts to evict perpetrators of domestic violence 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, and in the case of shared tenancy, the victim’s only option is to end the lease entirely, potentially leaving them homeless.

The bill also closes a loophole that allows abusers to serve termination notices to force victims into homelessness. Under the proposed new law, a termination notice served by the offender will not end a social housing shared tenancy while court proceedings proceed.

Additionally, in the case of a joint tenancy, the court may transfer the tenancy into the victim’s sole name and, if it is not appropriate for the person to remain, may require the landlord to provide suitable alternative accommodation where possible.

Last year, around 15,000 households in the UK had to find new social care facilities due to domestic violence. This legislation means victims can stay safe in their homes and communities, close to support networks, schools and work.

This news comes after the bill was quickly introduced earlier this month. The bill includes the biggest right-to-buy overhaul in a generation to reverse the decline of social housing.

Prime Minister Keir Starmer said:

“Victims of domestic abuse should not have to make the terrible choice between putting themselves in harm’s way or losing their homes. This Government is working to put this right, ensuring abusers are driven out and survivors and their children can stay safe in the homes and communities they know and love.

“We are also tackling systemic problems that fail to protect and invest in social housing. I will never stand by while much-needed homes are sold off while families have no safe place to call home and children grow up in temporary accommodation.

“This government will do nothing to build Britain, invest in social housing and restore pride in communities in every part of our country.”

Housing Minister Steve Reid said:

“Victims of domestic abuse are faced with the impossible choice of putting themselves at risk or becoming homeless. This is a moral failure that this Government is determined to end, and these changes are actions, not words, that will put victims first, give landlords the powers they need and ensure abusers can no longer use housing as a weapon of control.

“But protecting renters is only half the picture. We also need more social housing, and this bill addresses decades of divestitures that have left more than a million households on waiting lists with nowhere to go. These reforms will make social housing safer, fairer and more sustainable.”

The Bill also addresses and addresses the long-term decline in social housing. Since 1980, more than two million homes have been sold under the Right to Buy scheme, with many never being replaced. Between 2012 and 2025, around 133,000 council homes were sold, with just 51,000 replacement homes.

This has not only depleted much-needed stock, but also reduced motivation and confidence in council home building and restricted wider investment in council homes. This has dried up supplies, undermined council confidence in construction and limited investment. There are currently 1.3 million households on council waiting lists and more than 175,000 children living in temporary accommodation.

The Right to Buy scheme provides a vital route for social housing tenants to own their own homes, many of whom do not have access to home ownership, improving social mobility and opportunity for families across the country.

This bill rebalances the right to buy without closing the door to homeownership. Following widespread consultation, the reforms will increase eligibility from three to 10 years, protect newly built social housing for 35 years, exempt rural homes that are difficult to replace and update discount rules to reflect cash discount limits introduced in November 2024. The council will get stronger priorities for property buy-backs, which will help recover homes lost under the scheme.

The bill also removes outdated and unenforced requirements from the Housing and Planning Act 2016, including provisions forcing councils to sell expensive homes, offer fixed-term leases and charge higher rents to high-income tenants, giving providers the certainty they need to build in over the long term.

These reforms are backed by £39 billion through the 10-year Social and Affordable Homes Program. This is the largest investment in a generation. Together they will protect existing social housing and build it at the scale the country needs.

Dame Nicole Jacobs, Domestic Abuse Commissioner, said:

“Sharing social housing with an abuser presents victims and survivors of domestic abuse with an impossible choice: remaining at home means facing further abuse, but leaving means risking becoming homeless and struggling financially.

“I have been calling with survivors and activists to take action to stop perpetrators weaponizing communal ownership, and I am glad to see that the government has listened.

“People experiencing domestic abuse need safety and stability to recover and rebuild without harm. This will be an important step towards that for many.”

Nicki Clarke, director of the Domestic Abuse Housing Alliance, said:

“The Domestic Abuse Housing Alliance (DAHA) welcomes the Government’s tenancy reforms proposed in the Social Housing Bill. These changes represent an important and long overdue step forward that has the potential to transform the lives of many victims of domestic abuse.

“Domestic abuse typically occurs in the home, where most women are murdered. By ensuring landlords protect victims and hold perpetrators of abuse accountable, these reforms will ensure that victims of domestic abuse, including children, can achieve safety, stability, and long-term home security. This is essential for all individuals affected by domestic abuse to regain independence and move toward a life free of harm.

“We look forward to working with the Department for Housing, Communities and Local Government to support the development and implementation of these measures and ensure the details of the reforms deliver meaningful and practical outcomes for those affected.”

Veronica Oakeshott, Head of External Affairs at Women’s Aid, said:

“I am delighted to see that the Social Housing Bill received its second reading today and that it includes measures to protect some survivors of domestic abuse in shared rental homes, something Women’s Aid has long campaigned for alongside industry colleagues.

“For too long, survivors have been faced with impossible choices, such as staying with their abuser or risking becoming homeless due to outdated practices. The measures introduced in this Bill begin to change this by preventing social landlords from transferring tenancies to survivors in certain circumstances, or evicting abusers and unilaterally terminating tenancies where necessary. Ultimately, we hope these measures will go further and enable more survivors to become eligible, but this is an important start.”

Kate Henderson, CEO of the National Housing Federation, said:

“This Bill demonstrates the Government’s commitment to protecting social families for future generations and strengthening protections for survivors of domestic violence.

“No one should be forced to lose their home to escape abuse. We strongly welcome new powers to evict perpetrators of domestic abuse from social housing. This will support survivors to stay safe in the homes that are right for them and reduce the risk of homelessness.

“Reforms to the right to buy are a vital step to protecting social housing stock. This policy has resulted in more than two million social homes being sold over its lifetime, severely depleting the number of homes available to people on low incomes.

“We look forward to continuing to work collaboratively with Government to deliver a 10-year renewal for social housing and build the new social housing our country needs.”

Additional information

The Social Housing Bill was confirmed in the King’s Speech on 13 May 2026 and submitted to Parliament on 14 May 2026.

More information on the full list of bills in the bill can be found here.

The Bill’s Right to Buy reforms build on steps the Government has already taken to date, including returning maximum Right to Buy cash discounts to pre-2012 levels, following a review of the impact of higher discounts on social housing stock.

The government’s response to the consultation on reforming the right to purchase was announced in July 2025.

The bill’s right-to-buy reforms include:

Extend the minimum term of secured public sector leases from three to 10 years to fit within the scheme. We have reformed the percentage discount for the scheme, starting at 5% of the property value and increasing by 1% per year up to a maximum of 15%, subject to a revised cash limit (whichever is lower). Exempts newly built social and affordable housing from the scheme for 35 years. Rural properties, including homes in national parks, Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty and areas designated as rural, are excluded from the plan. Prevents tenants who have previously benefited from Right to Buy from using the scheme again, except in cases of victims of domestic violence and irretrievable relationship breakdowns. Exempts market rentals from the right to purchase condominiums. Extends from five to 10 years the period within which a council has the right to seek repayment of all or part of a right-to-buy discount when a property is resold. Expanding the right of first refusal to require the right to purchase a property upon sale to be given first to the previous owner in perpetuity starting 10 years after the first sale. Allows the Secretary of State to determine, by issuing decisions, rules governing the expenditure of capital receipts. Revising the right-to-buy regime for housing association tenants to align with changes to the right-to-buy to better harmonize the two systems. Supports councils with management of Right to Buy applications.

The territorial scope of the Bill is England and Wales and any measures when introduced will apply only to England.

Eligibility for social housing remains unchanged. Asylum seekers are not eligible for social housing.

This Bill does not change the private rented sector. From May 1, 2026, the Tenants’ Rights Act will provide greater security and stability for private tenants.

For the social rental sector, the law will come into effect from October 2027.

Under the Bill, a termination notice served by an offender in a shared tenancy in social housing will not have effect if a notice on domestic abuse grounds is in force or court or eviction proceedings are pending, thereby preventing the misuse of such notices to evict tenants from their homes.

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