What to do if you can’t pay your rent this month as government announces mortgage payment holidays
MANY workers are facing uncertainty as the coronavirus crisis intensifies in the UK.
If you lose your job or find yourself without income for a couple of months, you may find it difficult to pay your rent if you rent privately.
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What should I do if I can’t pay my rent?
For private renters, speak to your landlord as soon as you can.
They may be willing to defer payment for a while or to allow you to pay a smaller amount until you can get back on your feet.
Are there other options?
You should be able to receive statutory sick pay if you’re not in work, or be able to claim benefits.
This will help you pay your bills.
You can always go to housing charities, such as , for help, or to .
Will I be evicted?
Boris Johnson said today that the government will bring forward emergency legislation to protect private renters from eviction.
During today’s Prime Minister’s Question Time, Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn said tenants were "worried sick" they might not be able to pay rents if they fell ill.
The Prime Minister said he will bring forward legislation to protect private renters from eviction, but will also avoid "pass[ing] on the problem" by "taking steps to protect other actors in the economy".
This legislation is expected to come into force in the coming weeks.
What about my landlord?
The country’s landlord organisations have called for a package of measures from the government and mortgage lenders to support tenants and landlords affected by the situation.
In a joint statement, the Residential Landlords Association and the National Landlords Association said: “We are encouraging all landlords to work positively with tenants to provide support where needed throughout this difficult period.
“Landlords should be as flexible as they can to help tenants facing payment difficulties resulting from the impact of the coronavirus.”
They want to landlords to get more help if their rent payments are missed, so they can be more flexible with tenants.
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What about social renters?
Housing associations will not evict tenants who are affected by the virus and fall behind on rent payments, Kate Henderson, chief executive of the National Housing Federation, which represents housing associations in England, said.
"No one should be evicted because of the coronavirus,” she said.
"We are confident that no housing association will do this, and want anyone affected by the outbreak to be reassured they will not be evicted.
"As charitable organisations housing associations recognise that a number of people living in social housing work for low or irregular wages in insecure employment and may be placed in serious difficulties as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.
"We urge anyone living in a housing association home who is worried about financial difficulties to get in touch with their housing association."
People living in council homes are advised to take similar steps.
More on Money
The government announced that homeowners could be eligible for a break of up to three months on their mortgage payments to help their finances during the crisis.
Here's all you need to know about getting paid if your shop, pub or restaurant closes due to coronavirus.
And here are the jobs you can apply for to earn extra cash or get work during the outbreak.