LONDON Renters Union (LRU) campaigners prevented bailiffs from evicting a woman and her disabled husband from their home in Ilford today as they took a stand against Section 21 no-fault evictions.

Around 50 activists picketed multiple entrances to their block of flats in east London for over seven hours, ensuring that no bailiffs or police could enter the building.

Zubaida and her husband, who never missed a rent payment, only found out about the planned eviction two weeks ago, the union said.

The couple were caught in legal limbo after their landlord cut ties with the intermediary agency they rented from, leaving them unprotected.

The protest has bought the residents vital time to appeal against their eviction.

The case comes amid a surge in Section 21 repossessions, as landlords rush to push them through before the legislation is repealed later this year by the Renters’ Rights Bill.

The LRU warned that landlords would continue to force tenants out through sharp rises in rent even after no-fault evictions are banned.

Zubaida described their landlord’s action as “completely unfair,” adding: “This eviction has had an enormous impact on me and my husband’s physical and mental health.”

Her husband recently fell and developed a serious infection but has been unable to rest due to the stress of facing homelessness, she said.

Linda Burnip of Disabled People Against Cuts said that a lack of social housing means that disabled people forced into homelessness often spend months in hotels, unsuitable hostels or care homes.

“Due to the additional housing needs disabled people often have, such as an extra bedroom for a care worker or disabled child, very little private-sector housing is affordable” due to the [insufficient] levels of local housing allowance,” she warned.

The LRU called for urgent government intervention on soaring rents.