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Labour calls for eviction ban extension to avoid ‘self-made homelessness’ crisis
The shadow housing secretary has written to the government urging it to extend the eviction ban in order to prevent a “self-made homelessness crisis”.
Labour calls for evictions ban extension #UKhousing@UKLabour warns government over "self-made homelessness crisis" #UKhousing“Veering from crisis to crisis is no way to run a country. After the incompetent handling of the exams fiasco, the government must act now to avoid more chaos of its own making,” said @ThangamMP #UKhousingYesterday, Thangam Debbonaire wrote to housing secretary Robert Jenrick calling for him to extend the ban, which is due to be lifted on Sunday 23 August.
Ms Debbonaire said that lifting the ban, introduced in March to prevent tenants losing their homes during the COVID-19 pandemic, could lead to “self-made homelessness crisis at the worst possible moment” as the furlough scheme will wound up in October.
She cited Shelter analysis suggesting that nearly a quarter of a million people are at risk of eviction due to the economic impact of coronavirus.
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“Veering from crisis to crisis is no way to run a country. After the incompetent handling of the exams fiasco, the government must act now to avoid more chaos of its own making. The situation is urgent, but there is still time for you to rethink and extend the ban. I urge you to do so,” she wrote.
Ms Debbonaire also put pressure on the government by asking why it has not yet fulfilled its 2019 manifesto commitment to end Section 21 no-fault evictions.
She noted that renters have been harder hit by the pandemic but that the government has prioritised landlords and homeowners, in reference to the decision to suspend stamp duty payments.
The eviction ban, which covers England and Wales, was initially due to run until 25 June but was extended by two months, and Mr Jenrick introduced a “pre-action protocol”.
Last month, the government published details on what steps landlords must take before proceeding with a case. These include requiring landlords to inform the courts in writing that they wish to reactivate stayed eviction cases and to provide a full history of rent arrears in advance of, rather than at, the hearing. This should include details about vulnerability, disability, social security position and if a tenant has had to shield for a period of time.
In Scotland, tenants are to be given an extended period of six months’ notice before being evicted from their homes under plans announced by Scottish first minister Nicola Sturgeon last week.
A spokesperson for the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government said: “The government has taken unprecedented action to support renters, preventing people getting into financial hardship and helping businesses to pay salaries – meaning no tenants have been forced from their home.
“We will give appropriate support to those particularly affected when proceedings start again and we have changed court rules so landlords need to provide more information about their tenants’ situation when seeking an eviction, with judges able to adjourn a case if they don’t.
“Legislation introduced in March requiring landlords to give all tenants three months’ notice will remain for possession cases, including Section 21 evictions, until at least 30 September.’’
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