You are viewing 1 of your 1 free articles
Campaign groups and politicians call for eviction ban extension to go further
Charities, politicians and campaign groups have responded to the government’s one-month extension to the eviction ban by calling for a longer-term solution to protect the country’s renters.
The government responded to growing pressure to extend the eviction ban in England today by announcing a one-month extension to the ban, which was due to be lifted on Sunday (23 August).
Confirming the move this afternoon, housing secretary Robert Jenrick said the government would also introduce six-month notice periods for evictions, except in cases involving anti-social behaviour and domestic abuse, until “at least the end of March”.
The eleventh-hour move by the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) has been welcomed by housing groups and politicians, but they warn that the short extension does not go far enough.
The ban was first introduced in March to prevent a surge in evictions as people struggled to pay rent during the pandemic. The ban was then extended in June, with a new end date of 23 August set.
Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer said: “This eleventh hour U-turn was necessary, but such a brief extension means there is a real risk that this will simply give renters a few more weeks to pack their bags.
“Boris Johnson has been warned for months about the looming evictions crisis, but stuck his head in the sand.”
Polly Neate, chief executive at Shelter, said: “A bullet may have been dodged with this extension, but as soon as parliament returns, it must give judges extra powers to stop renters being evicted because of ‘COVID arrears’”.
“The government must use this short window of time wisely to put proper safeguards in place for renters.”
The government confirmed the new deadline will be 20 September but that it will also require landlords to provide six-month notice periods to be in place until 31 march 2021. The Scottish government moved to introduce six-month notice periods last week.
READ MORE
Commenting on the extension, housing secretary Robert Jenrick said: “I know this year has been challenging and all of us are still living with the effects of COVID-19. That is why today I am announcing a further four-week ban on evictions, meaning no renters will have been evicted for six months.
“I am also increasing protections for renters – six-month notice periods must be given to tenants, supporting renters over winter.
“However, it is right that the most egregious cases, for example those involving anti-social behaviour or domestic abuse perpetrators, begin to be heard in court again; and so when courts reopen, landlords will once again be able to progress these priority cases.”
London mayor Sadiq Khan said: “Once again the government has performed a late U-turn and left a vital decision that affects the lives of millions of people until the last minute, causing weeks of stress and uncertainty, and even now have only extended the ban on evictions by four weeks, which is not nearly long enough.”
Shelter has estimated that there are 230,000 private tenants who have fallen behind on rent since March and are vulnerable to eviction when the ban is lifted.
Rick Henderson, chief executive of the charity Homeless Link, suggested extended the ban to the end of the calendar year, providing grants to tenants to cover the cost of housing and funding holistic support for individuals.
MHCLG has said that once court hearings restart, the judiciary will prioritise the most serious cases including those involving anti-social behaviour and domestic abuse.
Ben Beadle, chief executive of the National Residential Landlords Association, said the extension was “unacceptable”.
He added: “Landlords have been left powerless in exercising their legal right to deal with significant arrears unrelated to COVID-19, anti-social behaviour and extremely disruptive tenants who make life miserable for their neighbours and housemates.”
Catherine Ryder, director of policy and research at the National Housing Federation, said: “The extension to the ban on evictions is welcome news for people living in the private rented sector, preventing many who have lost jobs and income as a result of the crisis from also losing their homes.
“Even once the ban is lifted, housing associations have pledged that no one will be evicted from their home as a result of financial hardship caused by coronavirus as long as residents make contact with their landlord to agree a manageable way to move forward.
“It is important to remember that for social landlords, evictions are always a last resort but are unfortunately sometimes necessary to protect residents and communities, for example in instances of domestic abuse and serious cases of anti-social behaviour. These cases must be prioritised once the ban on evictions is lifted.”
