Thousands of renters could benefit from new no-fault eviction protection

The Government is scrapping Section 21 orders to stop landlords evicting people without good reason

Campaigners have welcomed the proposals, with housing charity Shelter calling it an 'outstanding victory for England's 11 million private renters'.

Latest estimates from the Office for National Statistics reveal that there are 12,830 householders in Mansfield living in privately-rented homes.

In Ashfield there are 6,993 householders in privately-rented homes, while in neighbouring Newark & Sherwood, the number is 7,269.

Across England, one in five households now rent their home, a proportion that has doubled since 2002.

Under current rules, landlords can evict tenants at any time after an initial fixed-term contract has come to an end, without specifying a reason, by issuing what is known as a Section 21 notice.

The Government says under its new plans landlords will be required to provide a 'concrete, evidenced reason already specified in law' for bringing tenancies to an end.

Housing minister James Brokenshire MP said the proposed changes would effectively create open-ended tenancies.

He added that the Government was taking action because of evidence showing Section 21 evictions were one of the biggest causes of family homelessness.

Polly Neate, chief executive of Shelter, said: "This change will slam the brakes on unstable short-term tenancies and give tenants everywhere a massive boost in security, for which the Government will deserve great credit."

Labour however says the proposals do not go far enough, and do not prevent landlords from forcing tenants out with rent hikes.

As of September last year, the average monthly rental price in Mansfield was £498, while in Ashfield it was £505 and in Newark & Sherwood it was £531.

All three were well below the national average of £844.

The Residential Landlords Association said it recognised there were calls for change, but warned that good landlords needed to have confidence in the system if they were to invest in new homes, which meant being able to swiftly repossess properties for legitimate reasons such as rent arrears, anti-social behaviour, or wanting to sell.