Law Society comment: Eviction ban extension until 31 May

News by the government of an eviction ban extension and their enforcement today received a guarded welcome from the Law Society of England and Wales.

Law Society president David Greene said:

“We welcome the news that some tenants who are struggling and would otherwise be facing eviction will be able to stay in their homes until the summer, particularly given the lockdown, the new variants of the virus and the vaccine programme working its way across England.

“However, it should be noted that those with significant rent arrears are exempt from the ban, and, as time goes on, it’s likely that more tenants will be evicted as a result of increasing amounts of overdue rent. Eventually, fewer tenants will be protected by the ban and may become homeless.

“When the government begins to taper off these measures on 1 June, it needs to ensure protection is given to both tenants and landlords and ensure legal aid is available to as many tenants as possible.”

Kindly shared by The Law Society of England and Wales

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