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 potential evictions in the private rented sector after the end of the covid-19 related eviction ban; and what support he is providing to (a) local authorities and (b) housing associations to rehouse people who have been so evicted.

The Government has established an unprecedented package of support to protect renters throughout the COVID-19 pandemic and will continue to support tenants and landlords as we head into winter.

To keep tenants in their homes over the winter, the Government has legislated to require landlords to give tenants six months’ notice before they can seek repossession, except in the most egregious cases.

Where possession cases do go to court, the judiciary will look to prioritise the most egregious cases such as those involving anti-social behaviour. New court rules have been introduced by HMCTS requiring landlords to set out any information they are aware of in relation to how their tenant, or any dependant of their tenant, has been affected by the coronavirus pandemic. Where this information is not provided, judges have the ability to adjourn proceedings. Additionally, bailiffs have been advised not enforce possession orders in places where local public health restrictions have been introduced by Government through legislation, or between 11 December 2020 to 11 January 2021.

This Government remains committed to tackling homelessness and ending rough sleeping and is clear that no one should be without a roof over their heads. We have provided £4.3 billion to help councils to manage the impacts of COVID-19 which includes their work to support homeless people, including £3.7 billion which is not ringfenced, and £600 million to support social care?and a further £3.2 million in emergency funding for local authorities to support vulnerable rough sleepers.

We are also providing a Flexible Homelessness Support Grant of £200 million to help local authorities plan and respond to their local homelessness pressures alongside delivering the Homelessness Reduction Grant of £63 million to implement the Homelessness Reduction Act and enable local authorities to do more to prevent and relieve homelessness in their areas.