An estate agent has just released its latest results from its new survey carried out with renters and landlords to find out their views on the news of the eviction ban extension.

The earliest that eviction notices can now be served in England and Wales is February 21st.

Results back from the survey reveal that 76% of tenants were obviously pleased with the extension whilst 43% of landlords were far from enamoured by the government’s decision.

Just under half of tenants – 46% – said that they had not suffered any financial loss because of  the pandemic.

In the West Midlands 50% of tenants  in the West Midlands, 48% in the  East Midlands and 47% in Greater London were finding it difficult to keep up with rent payments.

The survey also found that 18% of tenants had stated they have not been able to pay their rent or had found it a considerable struggle to maintain their monthly rental payments, whereas in Wales 28% of tenants, 27% in Northern Ireland and 21% in the West Midlands and Scotland were experiencing the same problems.

Just under a quarter of landlords (23%) experienced levels of income because of the pandemic and only 12% stated that they were unable to evict a tenant because of Covid.

The survey was sent out to 992 UK landlords and 1,144 UK tenants.

The M.D of the agent’s said: “The ban on tenant evictions is a delicate subject and both sides of the argument have valid reasons for wanting to see the ban either
r extended or lifted.

“Financial reasons brought on by the pandemic are no doubt a factor, with nearly half of tenants seeing their financial situation worsen due to the pandemic.

“However, a far smaller proportion have struggled to pay their rent and many landlords have also seen their rental income sustained which is good news for all of those operating within the sector.

“There are also those that are using the current eviction ban as an excuse to avoid paying rent and while this is a very small proportion of tenants, it still poses a serious headache for landlords.

“Thankfully the government has now allowed landlords to include any unpaid rent accrued since the start of the pandemic to be included within the six month time frame at which point they can start eviction proceedings.

“Of course, the ban itself poses a far more serious issue for some. Financial reasons aside, many of the most serious cases will be due to domestic violence or anti-social behaviour.

“It’s fair to say that in these instances the government should not be protecting tenants from eviction, so it’s reassuring to see that these should continue to be considered on a case by case basis.

“Landlords are the backbone of the rental market and all things considered, much more needs to be done to support them during this tough period.”

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