Rents: Arrears

(asked on 21st October 2020) - View Source

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, if he will make it his policy to record the number of people in rent arrears.


Answered by
Christopher Pincher Portrait
Christopher Pincher
This question was answered on 2nd November 2020

The Government has established an unprecedented package of support to protect renters throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, and as with all policy making, this is informed by a range of data sources.

This comprehensive package includes a range of support for businesses to pay staff salaries which will support renters to sustain tenancies. We have also strengthened the welfare safety-net with a nearly £9.3 billion boost to the welfare system, including an extra £1 billion to increase Local Housing Allowance (LHA) rates so that they cover the lowest 30 per cent of market rents.

For those renters who require additional support, there is an existing £180 million of Government funding for Discretionary Housing Payments made available this year, an increase of £40 million from last year and which is for councils to distribute to support renters with housing costs.

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