Government extends evictions ban again

The government has once again extended the ban on landlords undertaking bailiff-enforced evictions which had been due to expire at the end of this month.

The housing ministry said it had extended the ban on evictions until May 31, alongside the requirement for a six-month notice period for court proceedings, which has also been extended to the same point.

The move is the third time it has extended the ban this year alone, following concerns raised by tenants’ groups that those hit financially by the covid lockdown could otherwise find themselves homeless.

The ban has been in place since the start of the pandemic, with the government also initially halting all legal proceedings. However, this moratorium was dropped in September, meaning that landlords can undertake court action, but, if successful, they still cannot forcibly evict tenants, except in the most serious cases of anti-social behaviour or fraud.

Housing campaigners say this still leaves tenants in a very insecure position, while advocates for landlords complain that they are being asked to finance the costs of lockdown with few options for financial help.

The housing ministry said it will consider the best approach to move away from emergency protections from the beginning of June, taking into account public health advice and the wider roadmap, implying a phased withdrawal of emergency measures.

While build to rent landlords have so far largely reported that the vast majority of tenants have been continuing to pay their rent during the pandemic, the National Residential Landlord Association (NRLA) said the government needed to urgently develop a financial package to help both landlords and tenants and avoid a homelessness crisis when the evictions ban ends in June.

Ben Beadle, chief executive of the NRLA welcomed the announcement of a phased withdrawal of emergency measures, but that the further extension to the repossessions ban will do “nothing to help those landlords and tenants financially hit due to the pandemic.”

He said: “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.”

Franz Doerr, CEO at rental tech platform Flatfair, said the announcement showed the concerns of renters and landlords had “once again, fallen on deaf ears in Whitehall.”

He said: “Since it was introduced last year, the ban on bailiff evictions has only served as a sticking plaster for the rental market. Huge sums of debt are piling up at the feet of landlords who are continuing to unfairly prop up the market.

The ministry says it has already made £180m of funding available to local authorities to make discretionary housing payment to those in need, and topped up housing benefit rates to the tune of £1bn a year.

Housing secretary, Robert Jenrick. Said the move, announced alongside the extension of similar protections to commercial tenants, ensured that businesses and renters “continue to be supported.”

He said: “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.”

The ministry added that a free mediation pilot was also under way to enable landlords and tenants to resolve disputes without a formal court hearing.