Vicky Foxcroft:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government,
what estimate his Department has made of the number of people in the UK in rent
arrears after the end of the ban on bailiff-forced evictions on 31 May 2021.
Eddie Hughes:
Data from the English Housing Survey (EHS) Household Resilience Study suggested
that approximately 9 per cent of private renters were in arrears in November -
December 2020. Most renters in arrears, had arrears of less than 2 months.
At least 130,000 households in England were made homeless
during the first year of the pandemic, despite the government’s ban on
evictions. With the ban now over, fears are rising that a surge of evictions
may be imminent. But figures show that even while the ban was in place,
households were being forced from their homes. Government
homelessness statistics and figures collected under the Freedom of Information
Act from around 70% of local authorities in England show that 132,362
households were assessed by councils as being owed the “relief duty”, where a
household is deemed to already be homeless. Read more on the Observer
website.
Almost two million private renters fear they will be unable to find another property if they lose their home after the eviction ban is lifted, ministers are being warned. With the ban coming to an end this week, the government is facing demands for emergency legislation to increase the permanent protection for those struggling to pay their rent as a result of the Covid pandemic. Councils are also warning of a “cliff edge” of homelessness in the months ahead unless action is taken, with a potential £2.2bn bill for the state. Read more on the Observer website.
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