230,000 renters at risk of ‘COVID-eviction’ when government ban lifts

An estimated 227,000 adult private renters (3%) have fallen into arrears since the start of the pandemic, meaning they could lose their homes when the evictions ban ends on 23 August, new Shelter research shows.

Under the current court system, anyone who accrues rent arrears of eight weeks or more can be automatically evicted, in addition to the risk of being subjected to a Section 21 ‘no fault’ eviction. The housing charity is warning that unless the government acts to protect the renters thrown into financial difficulty by COVID-19, judges will be powerless to stop them from losing their homes once the ban lifts.

What is worse, the polling, which was carried out by YouGov for Shelter, reveals that 174,000 private tenants have already been threatened with eviction by their landlord or letting agent (accounting for 6% who’ve had some contact or 2% of private tenants overall).

The total number of private renters in arrears reached 442,000 adults (5%) – double what it was in the same period last year. This demonstrates the terrifying impact of the pandemic on private renter’s finances. This is only likely to get worse for many renters as the furlough scheme draws to a close, and millions could lose their jobs.

The charity’s findings further illustrate the toll this pandemic and looming threat of eviction is taking on the mental health of private renters, who live in the country’s least secure homes. Nearly a third of renters - 2.7 million adults (31%) - feel more depressed and anxious about their housing situation. And the same number say they are having sleepless nights.

This reflects what Shelter’s frontline services are seeing too. Since the lockdown began on 23 March, one in four of the calls from private renters to the charity’s emergency helpline and webchat service have been from renters scared of losing their home.

With only 10 sittings days left until Parliament breaks for recess, and less than two months before the eviction ban lifts, Shelter is urging the government to act now and keep its promise that no-one will lose their home because of COVID-19. By making small changes to the law, the government can give judges the powers they need to halt automatic evictions - giving people the best chance possible of staying safe in their homes.

Polly Neate, chief executive at Shelter, said: “The Housing Secretary promised no-one would lose their home because of coronavirus. But the financial chaos of COVID-19 means that many private renters are in danger of being evicted when the current ban lifts. Unless he acts now, he will break his promise, and put thousands of renters at risk of homelessness.

“We know people have been doing whatever they can to pay their rent and keep their home safe. Despite this, the minute the evictions ban lifts, the 230,000 already behind with their rent could be up for automatic eviction if they’ve built up eight weeks-worth of arrears. And judges will be powerless to help them. That’s more than the entire population of Portsmouth at risk of losing their homes. And let’s not forget: this pandemic is not over.

“The Housing Secretary can still avert this disaster. He can prevent these ‘COVID-evictions’ as the pandemic continues and keep families safe in their homes. All he and the government need to do – in the 10 sitting days before Parliament breaks for the summer - is make some small changes to the law. These changes would give judges the power to ensure that no renter is automatically evicted, and the impact of coronavirus is always considered.”

Case study: Jeanny, 48, lives in Bournemouth with her three children.

She was furloughed from her retail job at the start of the pandemic and is still unable to return. Jeanny asked her landlord for some flexibility on paying her rent, but her landlord refused and has asked the family to leave the home they have rented for four years by 4 October.

Jeanny said: “It was a complete shock. I thought my landlord would at least say ‘let’s talk’ about the rent before threatening me with eviction, when I told her I couldn’t quite pay my full rent after my pay was cut. Before the pandemic, I’d always paid my rent on time every month for the four years we’ve lived here.

“Being under all this pressure is having a massive impact on everyone in the family. It affects my sleep, it’s on my mind all the time. I talk about it with my older children, and we try and work out where we can get the money from to top up the rent. I’m already buying cheaper food and looking for other ways to cut back. It’s incredibly stressful. I don’t want it to come to an eviction through the courts. I don’t want my children to go through that.”

Find further information about Shelter’s campaign to protect renters before the eviction ban lifts.

Anyone facing homelessness can get free, expert advice from Shelter by visiting shelter.org.uk/get_help or by calling our emergency helpline on 0808 800 4444.