Tenant eviction ban ends today – six things renters need to know
THE eviction ban for renters comes to an end today, putting thousands of people in England at risk of losing their homes if they're behind on rent.
The ban was initially put in place at the end of March for three months due to the coronavirus crisis.
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This was then extended by a further two months in June, and an extra four weeks last month after warnings that thousands of tenants could lose their homes.
Now that the ban is ending (on September 20), landlords will have to give tenants six months notice if they wish to evict renters.
It means that if you haven't yet been served notice, you don't have to worry about losing your home over winter.
The longer notice periods, up from three months, will remain in force until March 31, 2021.
However, the new rules won't apply if there is a serious issue such as anti-social behaviour or domestic abuse.
Reasons your landlord can evict you
A LANDLORD can end your tenancy early without a reason by serving you a Section 21 notice.
But there are other reasons that can cause you to be be evicted.
These are:
- You fall into rent arrears of eight weeks if you pay weekly, two months' arrears if you pay monthly
- Antisocial behaviour and a nuisance to your neighbours
- Breach of your tenancy agreement
- Using your home for illegal purposes, such as drug dealing
- If your landlord thinks you've moved out
Debt charity StepChange recently found that around 590,000 tenants had fallen behind on rent since the coronavirus lockdown, with an average of £1,076 debt per household.
Meanwhile, housing charity Shelter said 120,000 tenants in rent debt have already been issued an eviction notice - 175,000 of which have been threatened with eviction.
If you already claim Universal Credit or housing benefit, you may be able to get a Discretionary Housing Payment.
This is a system that allows rent payments to be paid directly to landlords.
You can apply online through your council - use the website to find details of your local authority.
If you’ve received a notice
The rules on the notice your landlord must give have changed, and it may now be up to six months depending on when it was served.
If you're unsure, your local Citizens Advice will be able to help either in person or via email.
If your landlord hasn’t followed other rules during your tenancy this might also mean that the notice is invalid.
Ms Hughes added: "Your landlord can only make a claim to court after the notice ends.
"You don’t need to leave by this date, but going to court might mean costs are added to your debt if the notice is valid."
If your notice is expiring and you’re due to go to court
Once the eviction ban ends on September 20, court hearings will start again.
If your landlord started the claim after August 3, you’ll be given a court date automatically, otherwise the landlord will need to serve a "reactivation notice" to restart proceedings, Ms Hughes said.
If you want the court to consider your evidence or allow you extra time in the property, you''ll need to return the defence form.
Also make sure you supply any evidence of information that you gave your landlord about the effect of coronavirus on your household and of any payments you’ve made.
Ms Hughes said: "The court will look at the information provided by you and the landlord and decide whether to make an order for possession.
"In some cases you might be able to stay if you can agree to affordable repayments, but the court has no discretion to allow you to stay if you’ve had a valid Section 21 notice - so-called ‘no fault eviction’.
“If the possession order is granted, it will usually ask you to leave within two to six weeks.”
If you’ve had a possession order and are facing eviction
If the court had already decided your case before the eviction ban started, you may be given 14 days notice after September 20 that bailiffs will carry out an eviction.
If that's the case, you should seek urgent advice - from Citizens Advice or another housing charity - about whether there’s any way to prevent or delay the eviction.
Alternatively, you may need help finding alternative accommodation.
In July, landlords agreed three ways to help struggling tenants including rent reductions.
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A survey has previously found that a third of renters on furlough were worried they wouldn't be able to pay rent when lockdown ended.
As of June, all tenants no longer have to pay certain fees towards landlords or agents.