The government’s decision to extend eviction bans by two months could result in a “further impetus” to landlords exiting the market, the National Residential Landlords Association (NRLA) warned.
The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government announced that new eviction notices in England and Wales would now be suspended until 23 August. A three-month suspension on evictions was initially introduced in March.
This means landlords will be unable to take action against tenants for a total of five months. Furthermore, eviction hearings will not take place until the end of August.
The government said landlords should work with tenants who were struggling financially due to the pandemic to find flexible solutions and only use legal proceedings as a last resort.
The NRLA said landlords were disappointed at the decision which could “cripple” the rental market.
Ben Beadle (pictured), chief executive of the NRLA, said: “It is important that the government sets out its plans for the market at the end of this one-time extension. A failure to do so will cause serious damage to the private rented sector as a whole.
“It will ultimately be tenants who suffer as they will find it increasingly difficult to find affordable housing if landlords do not have the confidence that they will get their properties back swiftly in legitimate circumstances.”
Shekina is the deputy editor at Mortgage Solutions and commercial editor at Mortgage Solutions and Specialist Lending Solutions. She has nearly eight years of experience in the B2B publishing market, having previously covered the hospitality, retail, pet, accounting and jewellery sectors.
Shekina has worked for Mortgage Solutions and Specialist Lending Solutions for almost five years. Here, she covers the market’s breaking news stories, engages with professionals in the sector, and oversees any commercially agreed content in partnership with mortgage-related companies.
This includes presenting webinars and hosting roundtable discussions on developing themes in the mortgage sector.
She is an NCTJ-trained journalist and was nominated for the Headline Money Awards Mortgage Journalist of the Year in 2021.
In her spare time, Shekina likes to read, travel, listen to music and socialise with friends.
She currently reports on current events in the mortgage market and liaises with financial clients to produce sponsored content.
Follow her on Twitter at @ShekinaMS
