The UK government has announced another extension to the evictions ban in England, which is now due to end on 31 May.
The previous ban was set to expire at the end of March, following a push-back of the previous 21 February end-date.
This latest announcement represents a full two-month extension.
As for what happens after May, the government said it will “consider the best approach to move away from emergency protections”, taking into account public health advice and the wider roadmap.
Court arrangements and rules introduced in September have been extended to the end of July 2021 to ensure that the most serious cases, such as anti-social behaviour or fraud, are prioritised and landlords will be required to provide the courts with information on how the pandemic has impacted their tenants
Commenting on this latest extension, Housing secretary Robert Jenrick said: “It is right that as we move through the roadmap we ensure that businesses and renters continue to be supported.
“We have taken unprecedented action to support both commercial and residential tenants throughout the pandemic – with a £280bn economic package to keep businesses running and people in jobs and able to meet their outgoings, such as rent.
“These measures build on the government’s action to provide financial support as restrictions are lifted over the coming months – extending the furlough scheme, business rates holiday, and the Universal Credit uplift.”
Government ‘unwilling’ to listen
Ben Beadle, chief executive of the National Residential Landlords Association (NRLA), said: “We welcome clarification that emergency measures in the rental market will be phased out in tandem with the overall roadmap out of lockdown restrictions.
“That said, the further extension to the repossessions ban will do nothing to help those landlords and tenants financially hit due to the pandemic.
“Given the cross-sector consensus for the need to address the rent debt crisis, it suggests the government are unwilling to listen to the voices of those most affected.
“If the chancellor wants to avoid causing a homelessness crisis, he must develop an urgent financial package including interest free, government guaranteed loans to help tenants in arrears to pay off rent debts built since March 2020.
“This is vital for those who do not qualify for benefit support.
“Without this, more tenants face losing their homes, and many will carry damaged credit scores, making it more difficult to rent in the future and causing huge pressure on local authorities when they can least manage it.”
Image: fizkes/Shutterstock
Read next: Yorkshire Housing cuts gender pay gap by over 8%
Are you a social housing professional? Sign up for a FREE MEMBERSHIP to upload news stories, post job vacancies, and connect with colleagues on our secure social feed.
