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TODAY'S OTHER NEWS

Government urged to ‘help people meet their rent payments’

The government last week announced that homeowners struggling to pay their mortgage due to coronavirus will be able to extend their mortgage payment holiday for a further three months, or reduce payments, but more needs to be done to help people living in private rented accomodation. 

While the mortgage payment holiday extension has been welcomed by many experts, the industry is still waiting to hear if any fresh proposals will be put forward to help private renters facing financial difficulty due to the coronavirus pandemic. 

Joanna Elson, chief executive of the Money Advice Trust,  a charity which runs the National Debtline advice service, said: “People in private rented accommodation are among the most exposed to financial difficulty in the wake of the outbreak, and the government should listen to calls to help people meet their rent payments by increasing the Local Housing Allowance rate to cover 50% of average market rents.” 

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Many landlords have been flexible with their tenants, discussing managing rental payments, and helping them find sources of financial support and advice. 

According to a survey of more than 4,500 private landlords by the National Residential Landlords Association (NRLA), 90% of landlords who had received a request for support from a tenant had responded positively. 

This has included offering tenants a rent reduction or deferral, a rent free period, early release from a tenancy or a refund on service charges included in rents for homes of multiple occupation.

Ben Beadle, chief executive of the NRLA, commented: “The vast majority of landlords are doing everything possible to support tenants through difficult times.” 

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  • James B

    This stuff needs more publicity than the crap shelter spin that landlords are evicting nurses etc

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    Only problem JB is that not enough noise will be made by those who are able to give support and provide the information that is correct and not spout BS as the likes of Shelter do with television adverts etc etc.

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    • 25 May 2020 11:43 AM

    Why should nurses not be evicted if they have not paid the rent?
    They are not unemployed nor are they furloughed.
    So for them it is business as usual!

    So pay the bl**dy rent you owe.

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    Absolutely right does not matter who the tenant is or what they do for a living , no rent = no home.

     
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    David,

    The nurses maybe employed and still receiving salary, but their partners and perhaps adult children may not be in work. If the NHS goes to court, you will not find a judge in the country that will grant an eviction. I fully expect the government to extend the period from June to October before any eviction proceedings can commence. Any landlord seeking an eviction would be lucky to secure a court date this side of June 2021. Landlords will fuel the property market crash as many will be looking to exit the property market. Now is not a good time to be a private landlord, and I'm speaking from a prospective as a private landlord.

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    • 25 May 2020 19:09 PM

    Tough on them. Not my problem.
    Why are landlords expected to forgo legitimate income and agreed and signed contract? No other business give the product for nothing!

    Still stands that no rent = no house...

    And any unpaid rent for no matter how long means they will be chased down forever through the courts, CCJs and the High Court. However long and however much.

     
  • Neil Moores

    Universal Credit recipients receive help towards their rent. To my knowledge, and I'm happy to be corrected as I am no expert, Universal credit does not help with mortgage payments, so there should not be the same requirement for people to receive additional help with rent. Also the Government (and that is ANY UK Government, not just the current one) does not want people repossessed from their mortgaged home as they will end up as tenants, possibly then obtaining state help with their rent.
    If people are receiving help towards their rent, which Universal Credit tenants should be, then they should be able to pay some or all of their rent. They might not receive all of their rent and they might have reduced income because their partner is working but that the presumes that they still have sufficient income to cover all or some of the rent. They might have to sacrifice some other luxuries. I am always perplexed that people discuss withholding rent to cover necessities such as food. I have always considered the cost of housing my family, and myself, to be right up there alongside food on the necessities list. I wonder if we will see people marching out of Tesco with an unpaid trolley full of food, declaring that they are saving the money spent on food to allow themselves to pay for their housing?

  • PossessionFriendUK PossessionFriend

    Its Govt's place and responsibility to pay tenants shortfall in rent, if they want to keep that tenant in Private accommodation. Govt have been urged to build more social Housing for years.
    If not, then allow lawful eviction, as is the Landlords right, and let Local govt pay the higher Temporary accommodation costs.

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    I have tenants that have shown they can't pay and I suspended rent payments and wrote off some of the arrears. One refused to provide evidence and it has emerged they have not only been sub letting but have turned my property into bedsits. They now won't respond to calls or email from me or my Agent. The "no eviction rule" will be extended and it's therefore unlikely I will be able to evict until May 2021 due to court backlogs.. Thanks Conservative government..

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    squatters? ask police?

     
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    Squatters in a residential property - a criminal offence, doubt police will do much though, bailiffs, the sheriffs office might have some ideas though, worth a phone call , or just go round there with a couple of heavies and throw them out of an up stairs window, after all what are they going to do about , treat people as they treat you.

     
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    notify plod as may be useful evidence for future?

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