Emergency legislation in Wales has blocked private and social sector tenant evictions before 11 January 2020.
‘We have taken action to protect public health and support Welsh tenants this Christmas’, Housing and Local Government Minister Julie James announced.
‘This is an extremely difficult time for many people and renters should not be forced out of their homes at a time when there will be less access to advice, support and alternative accommodation. We also know that people who are homeless are at a higher risk of contracting coronavirus’.
In the interim landlords will still be able to issue eviction notices, but the regulations will prevent bailiffs from evicting or serving notice of eviction on tenants from social or private rented homes in Wales.
Exceptions to the ‘no evictions’ rule will be those relating to matters such as anti-social behaviour.
Earlier this year the Welsh Government provided an extra £1.4m through the Single Advice Fund to help people to manage problem debt and improve their household income. Part of this funding was used to create the Early Alert Scheme for rent arrears and other household debt in the private rented sector. This, it said, is helping many people living in private rented accommodation to access the support they need.
In addition, the Welsh Government’s Tenancy Saver Loan Scheme offers low cost loans to private sector tenants who are in rent arrears. In each case the amount borrowed is paid directly to the landlord.
- NRLA Wales has called for candidates standing in the 2021 Welsh Assembly elections to adopt six key commitments. Its election candidate commitment wish list is to:
Streamline licensing;
Support landlords and tenants;
Improve homes;
Introduce a Welsh Housing Survey;
Improving justice for landlords and tenants; and
Reject rent controls and right-to-rent
