Housing Associations Under Pressure To Offer Covid-19 Rent Holidays

Housing associations are under pressure to offer rent holidays after only one pledged not to evict any tenant in arrears due to self-isolating because of the coronavirus. Millions of people live in 2.4m homes let by housing associations across England, Scotland and Wales. Rents are expected to rise by 2.7% from next month and there are fears many people will be unable to pay after losing work or due to being in self-isolation. The Labour party has urged the government to ban the eviction of tenants whose income has been hit by the outbreak and to allow rent deferrals. Read more on the Guardian website.

https://www.theguardian.com/society/2020/mar/17/housing-associations-under-pressure-to-offer-covid-19-rent-holidays

Downsizing Tenants Offered Rent Holiday

An Essex Council has decided to go ahead with its plan to offer under-occupying tenants a rent holiday if they move to smaller properties.  Thurrock Council agreed the move as part of its new allocations policy in an attempt to alleviate the impact of the government’s bedroom tax.  Val Morris-Cook, portfolio holder for housing, said: ‘I am really pleased to see the issue of downsizing is now taken into account. We are still looking at exactly what the benefits could be for moving out of a large home into a smaller, more suitable one, but one of them will be a “live rent-free” for a specific time which we have yet to decide.’  Read more on the Thurrock Council website.