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

To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, whether he plans to take steps to support low-income single parent families to find housing in cases where a rent guarantor cannot be found.

The Government wants everyone to have access to secure, safe and affordable housing. The Government continues to strongly encourage private rented sector landlords and agents to assess the suitability of potential and existing tenants on an individual basis.

Landlords and letting agents are free to carry out any referencing checks within the law before accepting a new tenant, this may include income checks or setting a requirement for a guarantor, depending upon the decision of the individual landlord.

Significant support remains in place through the welfare system, including LHA rates maintained at their increased cash level for 2021/22 and 2022/23. For those who need it most, support is available through Discretionary Housing Payments and the £500 million Household Support Fund, of which £421 million will go to help vulnerable people in England.