THE government should provide financial help to tenants and landlords in England dealing with rent arrears built up as a result of Covid, MPs have said.
The housing committee warned that ministers are in danger of breaking their pledge that nobody should lose their home as a result of the pandemic.
It also said the government’s efforts to take all rough sleepers off the streets are now effectively over. The government said this claim was misleading.
A spokesman said the government spent over £700m this year and £750m next year on tackling homelessness and rough sleeping.
A Resolution Foundation report produced last month found that almost half a million families had fallen behind on rent as a result of the coronavirus crisis.
A ban on landlords in England evicting tenants, introduced during the pandemic, has been extended several times and is currently due to expire at the end of May.
Ministers have suggested there will be no more extensions and that from June the government would introduce a “new approach”.
The Housing, Communities and Local Government Committee said many renters would be at risk of becoming homeless when the evictions ban ends.
It added that this problem would be exacerbated by rising unemployment as government support schemes taper off.
To prevent a rise in homelessness, MPs said the government should provide specific targeted support to tenants to repay rent arrears built up over the last year.