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The Welsh housing minister has confirmed that emergency legislation being introduced by the UK government to temporarily suspend evictions during the coronavirus crisis will apply to Welsh tenants.
The emergency bill, which was announced by the UK government last week, will ban both social and private landlords from starting possession proceedings to evict tenants for at least a three-month period during the crisis.
It will also extend the previously announced three-month mortgage payment holiday for homeowners to include buy-to-let mortgages.
Welsh housing minister Julie James said: “We are taking action to protect Welsh tenants and landlords affected by coronavirus.
“Whilst it is right that tenants in Wales benefit from this measure, we need to do more to address the underlying issue of possession notices being issued in the first place. We will continue to do all we can to support tenants in Wales.
“It is vital that no renter in Wales will be forced out of their home during this difficult and unprecedented time. These measures will alleviate pressures on landlords to meet mortgage payments and will further reduce pressure on tenants as a result.”
Last week, Shelter Cymru wrote to all social landlords in Wales urging them to halt all possession proceedings, as housing providers were left wondering whether the UK government’s eviction ban would apply to the devolved nation.
Meanwhile, the Scottish government has confirmed that no social or private tenant in Scotland will be evicted as a result of financial hardship caused by the crisis. However, it fell short of announcing a total ban on evictions.