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Sadiq Khan calls for ‘triple-lock’ protection for private renters in London during COVID-19 crisis

The mayor of London has called on the government to introduce a new “triple lock” of measures aimed at protecting private renters from eviction as a result of rent arrears caused by the coronavirus pandemic.

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Mayor of London Sadiq Khan
Mayor of London Sadiq Khan
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Sadiq Khan calls for ‘triple-lock’ protection for private renters in London during the COVID-19 pandemic #ukhousing

“Failing to bring in more support for renters will not only result in widespread financial hardship, but risks increasing the public health crisis,” said Sadiq Khan #ukhousing

Sadiq Khan has urged the government to increase welfare support for renters by restoring Local Housing Allowance (LHA) rates to median market levels and completely scrap housing allowance caps for those who are suffering financial hardship as a result of the disease.

He also called for more protection for renters from eviction after the government’s three-month ban on evictions ends in June.

His proposals include the scrapping of so-called ‘no-fault’ evictions and for changes to be put in place to make it harder for private landlords to evict tenants who have accrued arrears as a direct result of the COVID-19 outbreak.


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The mayor believes that his “triple lock” of proposals would protect the three million private renters in London from facing added financial hardship or becoming homeless.

The announcement comes as fears grow that many private renters who are unable to work or who have seen their incomes fall due to the social distancing measures brought about by the disease could be unable to pay rent on their properties in the months to come.

The government has put in place an outright ban on all evictions and possessions until the end of June, but there are concerns that once the ban is lifted, evictions could increase for renters who have accrued large rent arrears.

The government advice currently instructs that renters and landlords should come up with affordable payment plans to cover the missing rent over a period of time, but this has been criticised by Mr Khan, who says it is “unrealistic” for the two parties to sort this out between themselves.

Mr Khan said: “With millions of low-paid renters in London now facing increased financial uncertainty, we face a ticking timebomb of debt, arrears and widespread evictions once the suspension in court proceedings is lifted.

“The government must urgently put in place measures that will prevent private landlords from evicting tenants who go into arrears as a result of COVID-19.

“Failing to bring in more support for renters will not only result in widespread financial hardship, but risks increasing the public health crisis, as renters may feel forced to return to work too soon with increasing debt and arrears hanging over their heads.”

As part of the changes brought in by the government to help tenants during the coronavirus crisis, LHA rates have been increased to match the cheapest third of rents in a given area.

However, Mr Khan believes that this does not go far enough in London and has called on the government to increase this to match median market rents in any locality.

In addition to this, the mayor wants shortfalls in rental payments of private tenants unable to cover costs due to COVID-19 to be topped up by the government.

Part of his plans also involves making Section 8 of the Housing Act, which allows landlords to evict tenants on the grounds of non payment of rent, a discretionary rather than mandatory mechanism to evict someone.

Currently, if you owe two or more months’ rent at the time of the legal proceedings, tenants can be evicted by landlords on mandatory grounds. This means, if it can be proved, the judge must automatically make an outright possession order.

Making it a discretionary reason for eviction will mean the court can take into account a tenant’s circumstances and make its own decision on whether it is reasonable to evict.

Mr Khan has also suggested that Section 21 evictions, also known as no fault evictions, should be scrapped so that landlords cannot pursue this as a means of evicting a tenant as an alternative to Section 8.

Under current Section 21 eviction laws, landlords are able to give tenants as little as eight weeks’ notice to leave a property after a fixed-term contract has come to an end.

The government has outlined its intent to scrap this and effectively create open-ended tenancies, with landlords being required to provide a “concrete-evidenced reason for bringing the tenancy to an end”. However, this has yet to be brought into legislation and Mr Khan is calling for this decision to be expedited.

Commenting on the proposals, Caitlin Wilkinson, policy and public affairs manager at Generation Rent, said: “Many simply aren’t able to pay the rent and will be at risk of eviction and homelessness from June.

“The government needs to step in and ensure housing benefit covers the rent, through removing benefit caps and increasing LHA.

“We know there will always be some people who can’t claim benefits, which is why the added layer of protection from eviction is so important. No one should face eviction, debt and homelessness in the midst of a pandemic.”

The ‘triple lock’ proposals

  • Immediately increase welfare support for renters, suspend the benefit cap, restore LHA rates to median market rents, and cover any shortfall in rental payments of private tenants unable to pay them due to COVID-19 – including those with no recourse to public funds. This could be achieved by setting aside LHA rates for those who are affected by coronavirus.
  • Once the temporary suspension of court proceedings is lifted in June, prevent private landlords from evicting tenants who have accrued arrears as a result of the crisis. This could be achieved by making Section 8 (the arrears ground for eviction) discretionary in court proceedings.
  • Scrap no-fault Section 21 evictions. This would prevent landlords who evict tenants affected by the virus from using this route as alternative to the Section 8 method.
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