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

To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they will take to introduce a new tenant hardship loan scheme to support private sector tenants.

The UK Government has provided an unprecedented package of financial support which is available to tenants.

We have targeted our interventions as non-repayable forms of support, which offer a sustainable form of support for vulnerable renters, and do not encourage more debt.

We have extended the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme and £20 per week uplift in Universal Credit until the end of September, helping renters to continue paying their rent. Local housing allowance rates have been maintained at their increased level in cash terms in 2021/22, meaning claimants renting in the private rented sector continue to benefit from the significant increase in the local housing allowance rates applied in April 2020. For those who require additional support, Discretionary Housing Payments (DHP) are available. For 2021-22 the Government has made £140 million available in DHP funding, building on the £180 million provided last year.

Renters will continue to benefit from longer notice periods, giving them more time to make alternative arrangements. As of 1 June, until at least 30 September, notice periods will be at least 4 months except in the most egregious cases.

We continue to monitor the effectiveness of other examples of support, such as those from the devolved administrations in the UK, and note that uptake for loan support has been relatively low in Scotland and Wales.