Shelter responds to government announcement on support for renters over winter

Polly Neate, chief executive of Shelter, said: "It's a step in the right direction to make sure that renters threatened with eviction will have more time to find a new home. And sparing families the misery of being evicted over Christmas is the right thing to do.

“But these measures won't protect the renters served notice before August, who could still face automatic eviction after the eviction ban ends in ten days. And for renters served notice after August, the measures simply delay the threat of homelessness. With the double-whammy of recession and the furlough scheme ending next month, and thousands in financial peril, the government must support the renters most in need with paying their rent.

“The pandemic has revealed time and time again how precarious and unaffordable our private renting system is. It doesn’t have to be this way. If the government seizes the moment to invest in a new generation of genuinely affordable social homes now, everyone in this country can have a safe and secure place to call home.”

ENDS