Ministers must support all renters not just students, according to Ben Beadle, chief executive of the National Residential Landlords Association.
Ministers must support all renters, not just students according to Ben Beadle, chief executive of the National Residential Landlords Association.
The government have announced today that an additional £50m of financial support will be made available for students in England.
This money is designed support universities in assisting students who are facing loss of employment, additional costs for alternative accommodation, or to support them in accessing remote teaching amid COVID-19.
Beadle said: “Whilst we welcome the news of further financial support, it begs the question why student renters are being treated differently to all others.”
He went on to outline that students are continuing to receive maintenance loans alongside this new funding.
Beadle added: “Ministers need to explain why the same support is not being provided to other renters struggling as a result of the pandemic.
“Our figures suggest that 7% of private renters have built arrears due to coronavirus whilst the government has admitted that private renters have been hardest hit by the pandemic.”
Beadle believes that the Chancellor needs to develop a package to help tenants pay off arrears built since lockdown measures started last March just as is happening for students.
He added: “This is the only way that tenants and landlords can sustain tenancies and ensure renters do not face the damaging consequences of their credit scores being severely impacted.”
