A SURGE in homelessness can only be stopped by the government cancelling private-sector rent arrears which have built up during the pandemic, ministers were warned yesterday.
Campaigners and politicians demanded the debt relief in reaction to Housing Secretary Robert Jenrick’s extension on Saturday of a ban on bailiff-enforced evictions in England to the end of March.
Previous bans allowed evictions for people who had nine months of rent arrears, but excluded arrears built up by people who had lost their jobs since March 2020.
But following lobbying by landlord groups Tory ministers changed the rules during the January lockdown so that bailiffs can evict anyone who has been unable to pay rent for six months.
H SPLASH: Tories urged to clear Covid rent arrears to avoid spike in homelessness morningstaronline.co.uk - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from morningstaronline.co.uk Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Over a million children under five living in poverty - report nurseryworld.co.uk - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from nurseryworld.co.uk Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.