KazPost

Kazakhstan News
Friday, Mar 29, 2024

Almost 230,000 UK renters at risk of homelessness when eviction ban lifts

Hundreds of thousands across the UK could lose their homes next month when the coronavirus eviction ban ends, a charity has warned.
An estimated 227,000 of adults have fallen into rent arrears since the start of the pandemic, meaning they at risk of becoming homeless when the suspension on evictions ends on August 23, reveal figures released by Shelter.

The ban was introduced by ministers in March in a bid to protect renters who could not pay their bills after losing jobs or being put on the furlough scheme. But last week, housing minister Lord Greenhalgh confirmed the suspension would not be extended beyond next month, calling it an ‘important step towards ending lockdown’.

The housing charity has warned that unless the government urgently acts to protect renters struggling to pay rent amid the pandemic, judges will be powerless to stop them from losing their homes once the ban lifts. Chief executive Polly Neate insisted that the housing minister can ‘still avert this disaster’.

Under the current court system, anyone who accrues rent arrears of eight weeks or more can be automatically evicted. They also face being subjected to a Section 21 ‘no fault’ eviction, which allows landlords to repossess the property at short notice and without reason after their fixed-term tenancy ends.

Mum-of-three Jeanny, 48, who lives in Bournemouth, was furloughed from her retail job at the start of the Covid-19 outbreak meaning she had to take a pay cut.

But when she asked her landlord for some flexibility on rent payments, Jeanny was completely ‘shocked’ when she was told that she and her children would have to leave their family home of four years by October 4. She said she has paid her rent in full and on time every month before the pandemic.

Jeanny, said: ‘I thought my landlord would at least say “let’s talk” about the rent before threatening me with eviction when I told her I couldn’t quite pay my full rent after my pay was cut.’

The mother said she is trying her best to cut outgoings and has been buying cheaper food but said the situation is ‘incredibly stressful’.

‘Being under all this pressure is having a massive impact on everyone in the family. It affects my sleep, it’s on my mind all the time,’ she added.

‘I talk about it with my older children, and we try and work out where we can get the money from to top up the rent… I don’t want it to come to an eviction through the courts. I don’t want my children to go through that.’

A YouGov poll carried out for Shelter found 174,000 private tenants have already been threatened with eviction by their landlord or letting agent.

Meanwhile, the total number number of private renters in arrears reached 442,000 adults – double what it was in the same period last year.

The charity also revealed nearly a third of renters – 2.7 million adults – feel more depressed and anxious about their housing situation, with the same amount suffering sleepless nights.

Shelter said the figures demonstrate ‘the terrifying impact of the pandemic on private renter’s finances’ which ‘is only likely to get worse’ as many could lose their jobs as the furlough scheme comes to an end.

CEO Ms Neate said: ‘The Housing Secretary promised no-one would lose their home because of coronavirus… Unless he acts now, he will break his promise, and put thousands of renters at risk of homelessness.’

‘[The Housing Secretary] can prevent these ‘Covid-evictions’ as the pandemic continues and keep families safe in their homes. All he and the government need to do – in the 10 sitting days before Parliament breaks for the summer – is make some small changes to the law.

‘These changes would give judges the power to ensure that no renter is automatically evicted, and the impact of coronavirus is always considered.’
Newsletter

Related Articles

KazPost
0:00
0:00
Close
It's always the people with the dirty hands pointing their fingers
Paper straws found to contain long-lasting and potentially toxic chemicals - study
FTX's Bankman-Fried headed for jail after judge revokes bail
Blackrock gets half a trillion dollar deal to rebuild Ukraine
America's First New Nuclear Reactor in Nearly Seven Years Begins Operations
Southeast Asia moves closer to economic unity with new regional payments system
Today Hunter Biden’s best friend and business associate, Devon Archer, testified that Joe Biden met in Georgetown with Russian Moscow Mayor's Wife Yelena Baturina who later paid Hunter Biden $3.5 million in so called “consulting fees”
Singapore Carries Out First Execution of a Woman in Two Decades Amid Capital Punishment Debate
Google testing journalism AI. We are doing it already 2 years, and without Google biased propoganda and manipulated censorship
Unlike illegal imigrants coming by boats - US Citizens Will Need Visa To Travel To Europe in 2024
Musk announces Twitter name and logo change to X.com
The future of sports
Unveiling the Black Hole: The Mysterious Fate of EU's Aid to Ukraine
Farewell to a Music Titan: Tony Bennett, Renowned Jazz and Pop Vocalist, Passes Away at 96
Alarming Behavior Among Florida's Sharks Raises Concerns Over Possible Cocaine Exposure
Transgender Exclusion in Miss Italy Stirs Controversy Amidst Changing Global Beauty Pageant Landscape
TikTok Takes On Spotify And Apple, Launches Own Music Service
Global Trend: Using Anti-Fake News Laws as Censorship Tools - A Deep Dive into Tunisia's Scenario
Arresting Putin During South African Visit Would Equate to War Declaration, Asserts President Ramaphosa
Hacktivist Collective Anonymous Launches 'Project Disclosure' to Unearth Information on UFOs and ETIs
Typo sends millions of US military emails to Russian ally Mali
Server Arrested For Theft After Refusing To Pay A Table's $100 Restaurant Bill When They Dined & Dashed
The Changing Face of Europe: How Mass Migration is Reshaping the Political Landscape
China Urges EU to Clarify Strategic Partnership Amid Trade Tensions
Europe is boiling: Extreme Weather Conditions Prevail Across the Continent
The Last Pour: Anchor Brewing, America's Pioneer Craft Brewer, Closes After 127 Years
Democracy not: EU's Digital Commissioner Considers Shutting Down Social Media Platforms Amid Social Unrest
Sarah Silverman and Renowned Authors Lodge Copyright Infringement Case Against OpenAI and Meta
Why Do Tech Executives Support Kennedy Jr.?
The New York Times Announces Closure of its Sports Section in Favor of The Athletic
BBC Anchor Huw Edwards Hospitalized Amid Child Sex Abuse Allegations, Family Confirms
Florida Attorney General requests Meta CEO's testimony on company's platforms' alleged facilitation of illicit activities
The Distorted Mirror of actual approval ratings: Examining the True Threat to Democracy Beyond the Persona of Putin
40,000 child slaves in Congo are forced to work in cobalt mines so we can drive electric cars.
Historic Moment: Edgars Rinkevics, EU's First Openly Gay Head of State, Takes Office as Latvia's President
An Ominous Shift in Warfare: Western Powers Risk War Crimes and Violate International Norms with Cluster Bomb Supply to Ukraine
Bye bye democracy, human rights, freedom: French Cops Can Now Secretly Activate Phone Cameras, Microphones And GPS To Spy On Citizens
The Poor Man With Money, Mark Zuckerberg, Unveils Twitter Replica with Heavy-Handed Censorship: A New Low in Innovation?
The Double-Edged Sword of AI: AI is linked to layoffs in industry that created it
US Sanctions on China's Chip Industry Backfire, Prompting Self-Inflicted Blowback
Meta Copy Twitter with New App, Threads
The New French Revolution
BlackRock Bitcoin ETF Application Refiled, Naming Coinbase as ‘Surveillance-Sharing’ Partner
Corruption in the European Parliament - Business as usual
UK Crypto and Stablecoin Regulations Become Law as Royal Assent is Granted
Paris Suburb Grapples with Violence as Curfew Imposed: Saint-Denis Residents Express Dismay and Anger
A Delaware city wants to let businesses vote in its elections
Alef Aeronautics Achieves Historic Milestone with Flight Certification for World's First Flying Car
Google Blocked Access to Canadian News in Response to New Legislation
French Politicians Advocate for Pan-European Regulation on Social Media Influencers
×