Tenants won't be at risk of losing their homes due to coronavirus

The Government are announcing unprecedented, emergency measures several times a day whilst we are in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic.

Announcements to help homeowners had already been made with a three month mortgage holiday. Now, renters and landlords are being helped.

Considerations for landlords

Emergency legislation will be brought to prevent landlords from starting new possession proceedings for at least a three month period.

The three month mortgage payment holiday will be extended to landlords whose tenants are experiencing financial difficulties due to coronavirus.

This does not mean however that payments don’t need to be made. At the end of the period, landlords and tenants will be expected to work together to work out an affordable repayment plan.

There will also be changes to the Pre-Action Protocol, which currently applies to social landlords seeking to recover possession of their rented properties, so that it will apply to private renters, and its remit will be strengthened.

More updates to come

At the moment details are scant and we have not seen the proposed legislation, but we shall update as and when that becomes available.

In the meantime, it is business as usual for the Real Estate Dispute Resolution team so please contact any member of our team if you need any advice.