TENANTS across the region are being put at risk of homelessness by court action being taken too quickly, according to a new report.

Eviction action over rent arrears caused by poverty and failures in the housing benefit system is putting thousands of council and housing association tenants around the country in danger, according to the Citizens Advice Bureau.

Offices in York, Selby, Rydale and Harrogate all reported action by landlords to evict council and housing association tenants last year. The charity, which is now known as Citizens Advice, said many landlords were using the supposed "last resort" option of court action and eviction too early, with the number of eviction orders increasing by 12 per cent each year and some tenants facing eviction owing less than £250 in arrears.

Bureaux in the region reported similar problems with landlords and housing benefits.

Richard Porter, York Citizens Advice Bureau service manager, said: "The real issue we have to deal with is the lack of housing benefit, the length of time this take to come through.

"And this is not understood by landlords, who are running the accommodation as a business."

John Garner, Selby District Citizens Advice Bureau manager, said: "It is a big worry when social landlords are not acting very socially."

Mr Garner said a new rule had been introduced allowing tenants to be evicted if they had eight weeks rent in arrears, in order to stimulate the private sector into providing accommodation.

But he said: "Now they have all jumped on the bandwagon and the majority of landlords are using it, making it very difficult for tenants when housing benefits can take four months to be processed.

"We have had some cases when tenants have been moved into housing, had to wait more than two months for rent and so have been evicted, leaving them no option but to start the process all over again." Stephanie Stepney, homelessness advice worker withy York CAB, said: "The problem is that different departments at the council are quite separate, they need to work in a more joined-up way to better approach the problem.

"A lot of these problems can be solved without resorting to eviction, in ways that help people to clear the debts within their means. There are far more efficient ways of dealing with tenants than evicting them."

Updated: 10:38 Wednesday, February 26, 2003