'Exhausted' couple face third no-fault eviction
BBCWhen Stuart and Amanda Nunnley settled into their third rental home since 2023, they hoped they had found some stability.
But for the third time in just over two years, the couple, from Wigston in Leicestershire, have received a section 21 "no-fault" eviction notice.
They now face being forced out by March 2026 despite doing nothing wrong, as the owner wants to sell the property.
"It's absolutely exhausting not having any continuity of where we're going to be, you can't make a home just unpacking and packing boxes," Amanda said.
The Nunnleys' situation has come months before a ban on no-fault evictions in England comes into effect on 1 May.
The pair welcomed the new legislation but said it would be too late to help them.
The first no-fault eviction notice came in August 2023 after a social club building they lived in for 14 years was purchased by a new owner.
"We were totally devastated with that one because in one day both of us lost employment and our home from one letter," Amanda added, as the pair had also worked at the club, which closed.
The couple then moved into another property, but in September 2024 they received another notice because the landlord wanted to sell.
However, Amanda claimed this was eventually relisted at a much higher rent and not sold.
Now, she and her husband are attending house viewings again after they got their third notice in November 2025.
They had moved into the current property in November 2024.
"You just feel drained all the time," Amanda said. "We've spent Christmas trying to find places to live and getting advice."
She said that although an eviction would be a worrying experience for any age, at 62 she felt particularly affected.
"When younger we used to pack the boxes and off you go... but we have been absolutely exhausted and have a lot of belongings we can't lift any more," Amanda said.
Amanda added she suffered from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and 65-year-old Stuart said in addition to his slow-progressing throat cancer, he had blood circulation issues in his lower body which required surgery.
Under the Renters' Rights Act, landlords will still be able to evict tenants, but there must be a legal justification.
There will also be a 12-month restriction on re-letting properties where a tenant has been evicted on the grounds that the landlord wants to sell.
Meera Chindooroy, deputy director of campaigns at the National Residential Landlords Association, said it did not oppose the government plans.
But she said it was common for landlords to use no-fault evictions, even if they had a legal justification for eviction, because it was an easier process.
"There needs to be certainty that landlords will be able to regain possession in a timely manner when they go to court," she said.
"At the moment it takes landlords on average around six months to regain possession [through court], so it's likely that period will increase further."
Conservative MP for Harborough, Oadby, and Wigston, Neil O'Brien, said his thoughts were with the Nunnleys' "difficult" and "distressing" situation.
But he added the no-fault eviction ban must be matched by court reform.
He said: "I remain concerned that tenancy reforms without sufficient court capacity could overwhelm the system, leading to delays, uncertainty, and potentially making things worse for vulnerable tenants."
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