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

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps he is taking to support private renters that cannot pay their rent as a result of being unemployed or receiving Statutory Sick Pay or other social security benefits due to the covid-19 outbreak.

On 18 March, we announced a radical package of measures to protect renters and landlords affected by coronavirus. Emergency legislation has been brought forward as an urgent priority so that landlords will not be able to start proceedings to evict tenants for at least a three-month period. As a result of these measures, no renter in private or social accommodation needs to be concerned about the threat of eviction during this time.

Tenants will continue to be liable for their rent, and those tenants who can afford to pay should continue to do so. The Government also announced unprecedented measures to support workers to stay in work during this period by paying up to 80 per cent of their wages, increasing the amount available to welfare claimants and raising the Local Housing Allowance rate to the 30^th percentile, supporting tenants who may have already been struggling with their rent. These significant financial measures will help to support tenants to continue to pay their living costs, including rental payments.