Eviction is a 鈥榙eliberate feature鈥� of the housing system, says new book
A new book by Dr Jessica Field from The University of 野狼社区 has revealed that eviction is a 鈥榙eliberate and enduring feature鈥� of Britain鈥檚 housing system, rather than simply being a consequence of a housing crisis.
Eviction: A Social History of Rent, published by Verso, is a detailed look at the complex history of rented housing in the UK, tracing policy evolutions from the late 19th century to the contemporary private rental sector. It examines how rental policies and housing structures have historically positioned low-income tenants as vulnerable to displacement, showing that the threat of eviction has long been woven into the design of the housing market rather than arising from occasional crises.
The book offers a compelling and often unsettling look at the persistent reality of housing insecurity for low-income tenants in Britain over the past century and a half. It argues that eviction is not an aberration, but is fundamentally ingrained in the nation's housing system, often masked as progress.
Dr Field uses her own family鈥檚 story as the heart of the book, focusing on a housing estate in south Leeds nicknamed 鈥淐ardboard City.鈥� This neighbourhood, which was built in the 1950s by the National Coal Board (NCB) to house miners and their families, became home to generations of working-class tenants. It was a close-knit community where neighbours supported one another, socialised as close friends, and raised families.
Eviction charts the path of these homes from state-owned worker housing to privately rented properties, detailing cycles of neglect and financialisation. Despite promises of security, NCB properties - like many council houses - suffered from inadequate maintenance, and were eventually sold off to private speculators for a pittance.
In 2017, the property company that now owned the estate announced plans to demolish the homes and build 鈥榚xecutive鈥� houses in their place. This would mean evicting seventy households, many of whom had lived there for at least a decade, including Dr Field鈥檚 parents. The residents formed a campaign group, Save Our Homes LS26, and fought hard to save their homes - but despite their efforts, most were eventually forced to leave. Dr Field鈥檚 parents were evicted in 2022.
In the book, Dr Field shares how the fight to stop the eviction affected her mother鈥檚 health and well-being, and how the loss of their home shattered a once-thriving community. She situates those personal experiences in the long history of renting in Britain, showing how renters have always had fewer rights than homeowners and how evictions have often been treated as inevitable or even for the good of the tenants.
Through a mix of personal storytelling and historical research, Eviction challenges the idea that private renting has ever been a secure or fair option for families 鈥� even during the apparent post-war golden era of council house expansion. It also highlights the importance of community, neighbourly support and tenant-led activism and celebrates the achievements of many women-led activist movements over the decades.
"My parents fought for five years to save their community from a mass eviction. They lost, but their story reveals a brutal truth about Britain's housing system. For working-class families, the housing crisis isn't new 鈥� it's the enduring status quo鈥�, says Dr Field.
My book shows how we've spent more than a century treating low-income tenants as moveable masses occupying someone else's asset, whether the landlord is private or the state. Poor-quality housing, unaffordable rent rises and eviction are baked into the system - but tenants, especially women, have always fought back.
Eviction: A Social History of Rent is available now from .