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Thousands of tenants will struggle to pass referencing after Covid, warn landlords

NRLA says 7% of tenants it canvassed who had got behind in their rent will now suffer from damaged credit scores and may be refused accommodation.

Nigel Lewis

tenant referencing

Agents may struggle to get many tenants through referencing following the Covid pandemic, landlords in England and Wales have warned.

The National Residential Landlords Association (NRLA) estimates that some 210,000 tenants may face severe difficulties when being referenced and that many landlords may therefore refuse to let properties to them.

This figure is based on a poll of some 2,000 private renters which revealed that 7% have built up rent arrears since March 2020.

A quarter of those with arrears said that their landlord had attempted to reclaim these by seeking a court order.

Such orders, where successful, damage a tenant’s credit score – an outcome which makes it for harder for them to access new housing in the future.

Referencing

The data, compiled by research consultancy Dynata, reveals that the average amount of rent owed by those in arrears during the pandemic is now almost £900.

The figures also show that over 80 per cent of renters now in arrears were not behind on their rent payments when the pandemic began. 30 per cent of those who are presently in arrears now owe £1,000 or more.

Ben Beadle TDS Northern Ireland“As the private rented sector moves out of lockdown measures, the Chancellor has failed to provide tenants with the support they need. This is especially the case for the majority of those in rent arrears who do not qualify for benefit support,” says Ben Beadle, Chief Executive of the NRLA (pictured).

“Without urgent assistance, many tenants face the prospect of losing their home needlessly as landlords struggle to shoulder the cost of arrears. Affected tenants also potentially face the negative impact of damage to their credit scores.”

Read more about rent arrears.

May 28, 2021

One comment

  1. Well done Corbyn & all those that asked for Rent holiday. We all saw this coming. Every time the Anti landlord person shouts out, they make it harder for renters in a years time.

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