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.”
