Renters affected by coronavirus will continue to be supported over autumn and winter through comprehensive measures confirmed by Housing Secretary Robert Jenrick this week.
The Government has changed the law to increase notice periods to 6 months meaning renters now served notice can stay in their homes over winter, with time to find alternative support or accommodation.
The only exceptions to this are the most egregious cases, including where tenants have demonstrated anti-social behaviour or committed fraud, and the landlord rightly would like to re-let their property to another tenant.
The Housing Secretary has also confirmed that with coronavirus still posing a risk, if an area is in a local lockdown that includes a restriction on gathering in homes, evictions will not be enforced by bailiffs.
This support builds on the unprecedented package the Government has put in place to help communities through the pandemic, including support for businesses to pay staff salaries and strengthening the welfare safety-net with a nearly £9.3bn boost to the welfare system and an extra £1bn to increase local housing allowance rates.
For those renters who require additional support, there is an existing £180m of Government funding for Discretionary Housing Payments made available this year, an increase of £40m from last year and which is for councils to distribute to support renters with housing costs. These measures will be kept under constant review and decisions will continue to be guided by the latest public health advice. Support with housing costs may also be available for those on low incomes or who are out of work eligible for Universal Credit.
No landlord, including those who only rent out a single property, has had access to the courts since March, including to regain possession in cases where the tenant has broken the law. So it is right that landlords are able to access justice, alongside measure to protect the vulnerable. The Government would like to thank landlords for their forbearance during this difficult time.
From 21st September courts will start to hear possession hearings again. When cases are heard again these will be subject to new court processes and procedures which the Judiciary have developed. These include:
There will also be a ‘winter truce’ on the enforcement of evictions, with no evictions permitted in England and Wales in the run up to and over Christmas except in the most serious circumstances, such as cases involving anti-social behaviour or domestic abuse. This will ensure vulnerable tenants are not forced from their homes at a time when public and local authorities may be dealing with the usual level of increased demand for services during this time. To achieve this, guidance will be issued to bailiffs that they should not enforce possession orders in the weeks of Christmas.
Housing Secretary Robert Jenrick MP said:
“We have protected renters during the pandemic by banning evictions for six months – the longest eviction ban in the UK. To further support renters we have increased notice periods to six months, an unprecedented measure to help keep people in their homes over the winter months.
“It’s right that we strike a balance between protecting vulnerable renters and ensuring landlords whose tenants have behaved in illegal or anti-social ways have access to justice. Our legislation means such cases will be subject to shorter notice periods and then prioritised through the judiciary’s new court processes.”
The government has taken unprecedented action to support renters during the pandemic, preventing people getting into financial hardship and helping businesses to pay salaries.
The vast majority of landlords have shown understanding and leadership, taking action to support tenants despite facing hardship themselves. According to independent research, 87% of tenants have continued to pay full rent since the start of the pandemic, with a further 8% agreeing reduced fees with their landlords.
Really encourages private individuals to rent out their property, as only the very, very worse low life will ever be able to be evicted, and, as we know, the worst low life, usually has the most offspring, always used as a shield against ‘harsh reality’ that normal people have to live with.
all part of the plan to introduce ‘universal basic income’. Not only are they destroying independent businesses they now going to force small Landlords into Bankruptcy, and who is it that will end up with those properties = The Lenders ie The Bank
Buy to let is dead for the sane now.
Hence more social rental homes being built all over the Island, and sadly the tenants are not what they were.
The ruination of a decent place to bring up children is fully underway here now thanks to the Government policies and the Council only too pleased to find cosy developers to aid one another to meet, and exceed targets of building for such.
Yes let’s all feel sorry for the poor landlords,most especially the private ones where an agent isn’t there to tell them what they are doing is wrong who let out properties not fit for human habitation many are told this by the environmental health department charge an extortionate amount of rent for them which they raise often and never do any repairs.People in receipt of housing benefit which is pitifully low and doesn’t cover 99% of properties to rent therefore leaving the tenants to top this up with their food and bills money causing debts to build up and increased use of foodbanks,and children growing up in poverty. The only hope is for more social housing to be built and less poor for the greedy rich corrupt landlords to prey on
All the time the UK is getting filled from abroad then house prices and rents will rise, and MORE people will need the few houses here, OR we have to build all over our green and pleasant. The ANSWER is to end such arriving. Had the UK done that earlier than P. F etc would not be needed.
When George Clark started on TV he was doing up UK’s myriad of empty properties as there are tons of them but after a week or two he got bribed with a poxy caravan and then the script was changed to amazing small spaces and doing up the empty homes was forgotten. It is obviously in a few people’s financial interest to not have those empty homes refurbished for the people.