Eviction ban extended until March Leah Sinclair
A ban on evictions in England is to be extended until March, the government has announced.
The extension will stop most bailiff evictions until March 31, a move which Housing Secretary Robert Jenrick said would ensure renters remained protected during this difficult time .
“We have taken unprecedented action to support renters during the pandemic,” he said.
“By extending the ban on the enforcement of evictions by bailiffs, in all but the most serious cases, we are ensuring renters remain protected during this difficult time.”
Exemptions will remain in place for special circumstances such as illegal occupation, anti-social behaviour or six months’ rent arrears or more.
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LANDLORDS will be able to evict tenants who have fallen behind on rent during the pandemic from tomorrow.
Despite the government extending the ban on bailiff evictions last Friday, the new legislation weakens protections for many tenants.
Since September, landlords have only been able to evict tenants in exceptional circumstances, such as anti-social behaviour or falling into “substantial arrears.”
This was previously defined in law as the equivalent to missing nine months of rent.
Any arrears gathered since the first lockdown on March 23 could not be counted in the total.
However, under the new legislation, landlords can now evict tenants who’ve failed to pay six months’ worth of rent, leaving thousands at risk of being turfed out during the third lockdown.
MORE than 840,000 housing tenants who are in rent arrears will face eviction from their homes next month despite an extension to the ban, campaigners warned today.
The government announced an extension of the ban on bailiff evictions, which was due to end on Monday, until February 21 to ensure that renters were not evicted while Covid-19 restrictions are in place.
In contrast, the Scottish government has extended its ban on bailiff evictions to March 31.
Trade union Unite and Labour condemned the Westminster government’s meagre extension as “not good enough,” calling for rent arrears to be shared by landlords, tenants and the state.