An increasing number of private tenants are seeking help with Citizens Advice as the eviction ban lifts, the charity says.
The ban on bailiff-enforced rental sector evictions in England will end on Monday.
Citizens Advice’s online housing advice has been viewed more than two million times between January and the end of April 2021.
The charity said there has been a 17% increase in people asking about eviction issues from their private rented accommodation when comparing January to April 2021 with same period the year before.
A 36% increase in the number of people seeking help with a range of problems in the private rented sector has also been recorded, with the figure at 31,700 between January and April 2021 compared with 23,400 people in 2020 in the same period.
???? The pandemic has exposed just how insecure the private rented sector can be
Compared to last year, we've seen:
???? a 17% increase in people coming to us for help with eviction issues
???? and a 36% increase in people seeking help with all types of problems with private renting
— CitizensAdvice (@CitizensAdvice) May 27, 2021
The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government previously said that support for renters will continue as coronavirus restrictions ease.
As part of a phased approach, notice periods – which were previously extended to six months as an emergency measure during the pandemic – will be set at four months from June 1.
This comes after London Councils responded to Shelter’s report released this week which said the high cost of housing is the main cause of homelessness.
London Council estimates that 165,000 homeless Londoners currently live in temporary accommodation arranged by their local borough, which accounts for almost two-thirds of the total number across England.
The group have called for an improvement to councils’ resources for building social housing and an increase in the Discretionary Housing Payment funding to support households at risk of homelessness.
This major new report from @Shelter is the latest evidence of the worsening housing crisis.
London suffers from the most severe housing pressures in the country – including the highest rates of #homelessness. https://t.co/0PU5iFgJCY
— London Councils (@londoncouncils) May 26, 2021
According to the latest figures by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) index of private rents, rents in London grew 0.8% in the year to January 2021, the slowest growth of any region.
Dame Clare Moriarty, chief executive of Citizens Advice, said: “Next week, the sticking plaster applied to the English private rented sector during the pandemic will be ripped off.
“Ending the eviction ban puts thousands of renters at risk of losing their home. The Government should put in place a system of grants and Government-backed loans for renters in England who are still financially struggling because of Covid-19.”
