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

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, if he will take steps to ensure that tenants who are unable to pay rent as a result of covid-19 related financial losses cannot be evicted immediately after the current protections from eviction are lifted.

The Government, along with the courts service, has delivered unprecedented support to reduce the risk of rent arrears and has taken legislative and procedural steps to protect tenants.

We have also been clear in guidance that there is a need for landlords to offer support and understanding to tenants – and any guarantor – who may see their income fluctuate. This could include reaching a temporary agreement not to seek possession action for a period of time and instead, pause payments or accept a lower level of rent, or agree a plan to pay off arrears at a later date.

To support this, the Secretary of State for Housing has committed work with the Master of the Rolls to explore how the existing Pre-Action Protocol for possession claims by social landlords can be strengthened and widened to include Private Landlords.