Johnson (pictured) said the government was bringing forward legislation to protect renters, during his weekly Prime Minister’s Questions session in parliament.
“I can confirm we will be bringing forward legislation to protect private renters from eviction. That is one thing we will do,” Johnson said.
“But it is also important as we legislate that we do not simply pass on the problem, so we will also be bringing in steps to protect other actors in the economy.”
Speaking to ITV, business secretary Alok Sharma added: “There are millions of people across our country who rent, some of them will have anxiety about what would happen if they do indeed start to suffer from Covid-19.
“The chancellor was very clear yesterday in the house, is that we are looking very actively at this.
“The housing secretary will be coming forward very shortly setting out the measures to protect renters.”
The government faced criticism for not detailing measures to support private renters after offering homeowners in financial difficulty a three month payment holiday from their mortgage.
Safeguard tenants
ARLA Propertymark chief executive David Cox approved of the move.
“We agree that the government must do “whatever it takes” to safeguard tenants in these unprecedented times,” he said.
“We of course have to support tenants as they face uncertainty over the coming months, while as the prime minister has said, ensuring we don’t simply pass on the problem to other actors in the economy.”
