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One in four London private renters struggling, claims Khan
One in four private renters in London are struggling to keep up with the rent, with evictions due to resume in less than a fortnight, City Hall has said.
London mayor Sadiq Khan said the government must act to avoid a tsunami of evictions when the ban imposed in March as part of the response to the coronavirus pandemic is lifted on 23 August.
Around 500,000 of the capital’s 2.2 million privately renting adults have fallen behind on rent or expect to do so soon, according to a survey by the Greater London Authority (GLA) and YouGov.
Among social renters, 17% of council tenants and 19% of housing association tenants are also facing arrears, the GLA said.
Mr Khan said: “The government needs to wake up to the terrifying prospect facing thousands of London renters as the eviction ban comes to an end.
“Housing charities, rental support groups and I have given the government ample warning of the cliff edge approaching us on 23 August. If nothing is done, local authority housing services could be overwhelmed, and we could see a flood of people being forced onto the streets.
“It would be a tragedy if thousands more people find themselves homeless due to being evicted. It is not too late for ministers to act, but time is fast running out.”
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The mayor has called on ministers to introduce “triple lock” protections for renters, increasing benefits to cover arrears, scrapping ‘no-fault’ Section 21 evictions and preventing landlords from evicting tenants for non-payment of rent where the arrears have been caused by COVID-19.
One in 12 private renters in London have fallen behind on rent since the start of lockdown, the research found, equating to around 180,000 people.
Another one in six – equivalent to around 374,000 – fear that they are likely to fall behind soon, according to the survey.
The findings correspond with a similar poll by housing charity Shelter, which suggested that 227,000 private renters have fallen into arrears since the start of the pandemic.
Thinktank the Resolution Foundation also reported in May that one in eight private renters across England have fallen behind on housing costs since the outbreak in mid-March.
Alicia Kennedy, director of Generation Rent, said: “This new research shows how much private renters are bearing the brunt of this economic shock.
“Even if they’ve managed to keep on top of the rent so far, one in four renters is really struggling. By failing to provide a decent safety net, the government is leaving renters to burn through their savings or take on stomach-churning debt.
“And when evictions restart, there is still nothing stopping landlords using a Section 21 notice to force out tenants with no appeal.”
A spokesperson for the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government said: “The government has taken unprecedented action to support renters during the pandemic, helping prevent people getting into financial hardship or rent arrears and for businesses to pay staff salaries – ensuring no tenants have been forced from their home at the height of COVID-19.
“We will provide appropriate support to those who have been particularly affected by coronavirus when court proceedings start again including the requirement for landlords to provide more information about their tenants’ situation when seeking an eviction, with judges able to adjourn a case if this information isn’t provided.”
“Legislation introduced in March requiring landlords to give all tenants three months’ notice will remain in force for possession cases, including section 21 evictions, until September 30.”
YouGov surveyed 1,082 adults online between 28 and 31 July. Figures for the number of private renters in London were taken from the Labour Force Survey.
Update: at 4.31pm 11/08/20 a comment from MHCLG was added to the story.
