With the repeated extension to the tenant eviction ban landlords still are unable to evict their tenants.
While the immediate reaction has been frustration from some landlords, I worry about everyone involved over the long-term.
For tenants there’s the very real danger of rolling into mountains of debt, if they end up staying for months without paying their rent.
As a landlord, if you have a tenant in this situation you have to make it clear that they need to have a strategy to settle their debts.
Nobody wants to kick someone when they’re down, as is the case if the tenant has fallen on hard times, but they should know there will be consequences to falling into mountains of debt in the end.
What we don’t want to see is bailiffs having a lot of work when the housing market reopens, because of a huge spike in evictions.
Research from Barrows and Forrester reveals that 67% of tenants feel they are worse off due to the pandemic. Tenants in the West Midlands (50%), East Midlands (48%) and Greater London (47%) are also struggling more than most.
Clearly some people have been affected more than others during this pandemic.
Those who have been lucky enough to keep working are likely to be in an even better spot than they were financially, because it’s hard to spend money when stuck at home.
It seems inaccurate to say the pandemic has created winners and losers, but clearly some people have lost far more than others.
Here I am talking about both the financial aspects, as well as the struggles of being taken ill, or having family members taken ill due to the pandemic.
With this in mind, I hope people viewing properties do all their initial searching online. I think the BBC’s article on this was very concerning, as it suggests people are not taking the pandemic seriously, just because the housing market has reopened.
You should take it seriously, and both businesses and individuals need to take as many precautions as possible during this time.
If not there will be more cases, and the housing market could be closed again.
Ryan Bembridge, Editor, PropertyWire
