Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, if he will extend the moratorium on evictions in England beyond 11 January 2021 during the covid-19 outbreak.

The Government has extended existing legislation to ensure bailiffs in England do not serve eviction notices, or carry out evictions except in the most serious circumstances, such as anti-social behaviour and domestic abuse perpetrators in the social sector. This legislation will be in place for at least six weeks before being reviewed with consideration taken to the latest public health data. This will mean in practical terms that no evictions will be enforced until March.

To further protect renters, landlords are required to provide 6-months' notice of their intention to seek possession through the courts, except in the most serious cases such as anti-social behaviour, fraud and egregious rent arrears. This means that tenants served notice today will not have to leave until July.