Ministers need to get a grip of the rent debt crisis

In a joint statement following the reintroduction of a national lockdown, the National Residential Landlords Association, The Big Issue and Ride Out Recession Alliance, Shelter, ARLA Propertymark, the Nationwide Building Society, and StepChange the Debt Charity have said:

“Many thousands of private renters and landlords across the country now face rent arrears due to the impact of the pandemic.

“Ministers have failed to address the core problem of debts which have built despite the financial package put in place so far. Indeed, the Chancellor confirmed that housing benefit will not be linked to the cost of renting for future years.       

“Renters, landlords and letting agents cannot be expected simply to muddle through indefinitely where they face these financial difficulties. The Government needs to develop an urgent package to help renters in paying off arrears built since March last year.

“Without further action, debts will continue to mount, making it far more difficult to sustain tenancies and keep renters in their homes after the pandemic.”

NRLA research

• The NRLA recently published new research relating to this issue. A survey of tenants, carried out by Dynata for the NRLA, suggests that more than 800,000 private renters in England and Wales have built rent arrears since lockdown measures began. To read this research, click here.