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Landlords welcome ‘balanced’ re-start of evictions as tenants talk of betrayal

The NRLA says both sides need more financial help, but Generation Rent claims 55,000 face losing their homes as possession hearings restart, albeit in a limited way.

Nigel Lewis

evictions

Landlords have welcomed today’s resumption of evictions, saying it strikes the correct balance between the needs of landlords and those of tenants affected by the pandemic.

But they have also called for both sides to be given more financial help to make it through the pandemic, and a mooted second lockdown.

The National Residential Landlords Association says it supports the framework put in place by the judiciary and the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government.

This includes limiting possession hearings to cases who tenants have been involved in anti-social behaviour, domestic violence or who stopped paying their months before Covid landed in the UK.

Ben Beadle TDS Northern Ireland“After a six month ban on repossessions it is important that landlords can start to take action to tackle the most serious cases,” says Ben Beadle. (left)

“We continue to encourage landlords to work with their tenants to sustain tenancies wherever possible, making use of the guidance we have prepared.

“To support this the Government should follow the example of Scotland and Wales and develop a stronger financial package to help tenants to pay off rent arrears built since the lockdown started.

“Ministers also need to address the crisis faced by those landlords who have rented their homes out whilst working elsewhere.

“The six months’ notice required in such circumstances freezes them out of accessing their own homes, effectively making them homeless.”

Tenant organisations including Acorn, Generation Rent and Shelter have not welcomed the resumption of evictions. Generation Rent says it reckons there are 55,000 household who were given notice to quit before the extension of the notice period was announced by Housing secretary Robert Jenrick on 28th August, and who now face potential possession action by their landlord or letting agency.

 

September 21, 2020

One comment

  1. Nobody, Tenants or otherwise can have something without paying for it, SIMPLES.
    If tenants are in genuine need, its a Government welfare responsibility to house them, whether that be via the local Authority ( who we all know cannot cope in the slightest ) or else pay their Covid-related rent via a tenant loan.

    Non-Covid Possessions should NEVER have been suspended, – as they have nothing to do with the virus and everything to do with dishonesty with landlords bearing the strain, – ENOUGH.

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