Wales has extended its eviction ban from March 31 until the end of June – but it is more severe than in England.

That’s because there will be no exemption for landlords dealing with tenants in extreme arrears: in England, evictions can still occur for cases where the tenants has over six months of accumulated arrears.

Welsh housing minister Julie James says the existing statutory requirement for landlords to give tenants six months’ notice before starting an eviction will also be extended until the end of June.

She says: “The Welsh Government recognises that extending these temporary protections for a further period of time may cause difficulties for some landlords in the private rented sector … However, our overriding priority must be the protection of public health at this time.”

The news has been received badly by Ben Beadle, chief executive of the National Residential Landlords Association.

He comments: “The further extension to the repossessions ban will do nothing to help landlords and tenants financially hit due to the pandemic. 

“We are disappointed that exemptions regarding significant rent arrears have not been included.

“Throughout the pandemic there has been no direct support for landlords in financial distress, and the tenancy saver loans scheme for tenants have had limited uptake due to over-restrictive access criteria, inconsistent local variations and an unnecessary interest charge.

“It seems like the Welsh Government are unwilling to listen to the voices of those most affected.

“Without changes made, more tenants face losing their homes, and many will carry damaged credit scores, making it more difficult to rent in the future and causing huge pressure on local authorities when they can least manage it.”