Labour’s Shadow Housing Secretary has today written to calling for clarity on the protections for renters
and homeowners, as England heads into a second national lockdown.
During the first national lockdown, the Government introduced a
ban on evictions, which ended on 20th September, and a ban on
repossessions, which ended on 31st October.
Ms Debbonaire writes:
“As we head into a second lockdown on Thursday, it is essential
that renters and homeowners have re-assurance that they will be
safe in their homes.
“The Government clearly accepts the need for additional
protections when additional public health measures are in place.
“Will you re-instate the evictions ban, as well as the ban on
repossessions to protect home-owners, and come forward with a
credible plan to keep your promise that no-one will lose their
home due to coronavirus?”
Ends
Notes to editors
Shelter estimates that 320 000 renters have fallen into arrears
as a result of the Coronavirus: https://www.generationrent.org/end_of_furlough_puts_341_000_more_renters_at_risk_of_debt
Local Housing Allowance will only cover the cheapest 30% of
private rented homes in a local area. With 39% of private renters
receiving LHA – up from 30% pre-pandemic – there will necessarily
be thousands of renters who will face a shortfall: https://www.generationrent.org/end_of_furlough_puts_341_000_more_renters_at_risk_of_debt
This follows calls from Labour to re-start ‘Everyone In’: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-54793616
Full text of letter
Dear Robert,
As we head into a second lockdown on Thursday, it is essential
that renters and homeowners have re-assurance that they will be
safe in their homes.
Will you re-instate the evictions ban, as well as the ban on
repossessions to protect home-owners, and come forward with a
credible plan to keep your promise that no-one will lose their
home due to coronavirus?
The Government clearly accepts the need for additional
protections when additional public health measures are in place.
During the first national lockdown you imposed a ban on
evictions, and when the previous evictions ban was lifted in
September, you set out that “evictions will not be enforced in
local lockdown areas and there will be a truce on enforcement
over Christmas.”
Now that England is heading for a second national lockdown, will
you ensure that renters across the country are protected from
eviction?
Although landlords must now give six months’ notice for most
eviction cases, this will not help those at most immediate risk
of eviction, who were issued with eviction notices before 29
August and whose cases will be the first to go through the courts
this winter. No-one should suffer lockdown with harassment or
anti-social behaviour from neighbours, but any exemption must be
framed to prevent homelessness.
As well immediate protection from evictions, the Government must
come forward with a credible long-term plan to ensure that no-one
loses their home as result of Coronavirus. Many renters have
struggled to keep up with payments, through no fault of their
own. Shelter has estimated that 322 000 private renters have
fallen into arrears as a result of the pandemic. Will you raise
Local Housing Allowance to average rents, and bring forward a
plan to address the arrears crisis which is putting hundreds of
thousands of renters at risk of losing their home?
During the first national lockdown, the ban prevented many
evictions but there was a worrying rise in illegal evictions. The
charity Safer Renting has estimated that illegal evictions are up
60% since March. What steps are you taking to ensure that renters
are not illegally evicted over winter, and have access to advice
and support where it is needed?
The Prime Minister announced a second national lockdown on the
very same day as the ban on repossessions came to an end. The
Financial Conduct Authority’s extension of the 6-month mortgage
deferral is welcome but may be insufficient to protect mortgage
holders from lenders who are concerned about the long-term
viability of the mortgage. The mortgage interest loan scheme is
not available until 9 months have passed, by which time many
home-owners may have been assessed as unable to pay by their
lender and at risk of repossession. This further puts home-owners
at risk of turning to more unscrupulous lenders.
Will you now clarify the position for those borrowers who have
already taken a six-month mortgage holiday, re-start the ban on
repossessions and update the Support for Mortgage Interest Scheme
to ensure it provides adequate support to homeowners?
I look forward to an urgent response.
Best wishes,
Thangam
