Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what estimate he has made of the number of evictions that were prevented between 27 March and 20 September 2020 as a result of the suspension of ongoing housing possession actions.

This Government took urgent and necessary steps in the immediate face of a public health emergency to suspend housing possession action in the county courts between 27 March 2020 until 20 September 2020. This meant that neither cases in the system nor any about to go into it could progress to the stage at which someone could be legally evicted from their home. The latest government statistics for the period between April to June 2020 show that, as a result of the stay on possession proceedings, there were no bailiff repossessions recorded during this time.

The suspension of possession proceedings ended on 20 September 2020 and landlords are now able to advance their possession claims through the courts. The judiciary will look to prioritise the most serious cases including anti-social behaviour, fraud and egregious rent arrears. We have published guidance on the possession action process which includes new rules to protect tenants and new processes and procedures which landlords need to follow.

To further protect renters over winter, we have legislated to increase notice periods to 6 months in all but the most serious circumstances and we have asked bailiffs not to carry out evictions in a four week period over Christmas or in areas where gatherings are not allowed in homes. Bailiffs should not carry out evictions in tier 2 (high) and tier 3 (very high) local COVID alert areas, and we will keep this under review.

These measures build on the Government’s major economic package of support including assistance for businesses to pay wages; boosting the welfare safety-net by more than £9 billion; increasing Local Housing Allowance rates to the 30th percentile; and providing £180 million funding for Discretionary Housing Payments, for local authorities to distribute to support renters needing additional help.