The ban on evicting tenants during the Covid pandemic has been extended until the end of March, but important differences remain in the approaches being taken by national governments across the UK.
Housing Secretary Robert Jenrick bowed to pressure by extending the ban in England from the 22nd February to the financial year end – bringing the country into line with Wales and Scotland, but he resisted calls to introduce any additional financial support in the form of grants and/or low cost loans for private sector tenants and landlords.
The ban on evictions being carried out in all but the most serious cases of tenancy breaches (such as antisocial behaviour) will have been in place for a year. During this time rent arrears have soared and landlords, charities and campaign groups have united to criticise Jenrick for his one-sided approach.
The National Residential Landlords Association chief executive, Ben Beadle warned the announcement was storing up future problems. He said 800,000 private renters have built up arrears since the ban came into force, which they would struggle to ever pay off.
“It will eventually lead to them having to leave their home and face serious damage to their credit scores,” he said. “A package of hardship loans and grants is needed as a matter of urgency. To expect landlords and tenants simply to muddle through without further support is a strategy that has passed its sell-by date.”
The success of the eviction ban has been challenged by research done for The Guardian and Observer newspapers, which revealed that at least 70,000 households have lost their homes during the pandemic. They claim that tens of thousands of other households are facing a similar fate.
Using Freedom of Information requests to local authorities supplemented by official Whitehall figures, the newspapers found that 207,543 households approached their local council for help with homelessness or the threat of homelessness between the start of April and the end of November 2020. Of these, 50,561 were “owed the prevention duty”, meaning they were judged to be threatened with homelessness, while 70,309 were “owed the relief duty”, meaning they were already homeless.
Under the ban, bailiffs in England are blocked from enforcing possessions but unlike the original ban (between March and September last year) possession hearings and court orders can still take place with landlords required to give six-month notice periods and the courts prioritising egregious cases, such as antisocial behaviour, illegal occupation or for perpetrators of domestic abuse.
Jenrick said:
“We have taken unprecedented action to support renters during the pandemic, including introducing a six-month notice period and financial support to help those struggling to pay their rent.
“By extending the ban on the enforcement of evictions by bailiffs, in all but the most serious cases, we are ensuring renters remain protected during this difficult time. Our measures strike the right balance between protecting tenants and enabling landlords to exercise their right to justice.”
By Patrick Mooney, Editor