Millions of tenants may be unable to pay as coronavirus leads to lost work, say charities

Housing associations are under pressure to offer rent holidays after only one pledged not to evict any tenant in arrears due to self-isolating because of the coronavirus.

Millions of people live in 2.4m homes let by housing associations across England, Scotland and Wales. Rents are expected to rise by 2.7% from next month and there are fears many people will be unable to pay after losing work or due to being in self-isolation.

The Labour party has urged the government to ban the eviction of tenants whose income has been hit by the outbreak and to allow rent deferrals. On Tuesday, the government said homeowners in financial difficulty due to coronavirus would be offered a three-month mortgage holiday.



However, those who live in housing association accommodation are more likely to work in the gig economy or have precarious contracts, with some out of work because of the impact of the pandemic.

Research by the homeless charity Crisis suggests there were around 15,500 homes repossessed by social landlords (which includes housing associations) in England in 2018, the lowest level since 2000, after a gradual exclusion of the poorest tenants from newly available properties.

The Guardian contacted scores of housing associations – some of which describe themselves as companies “with a heart” – but only one confirmed it would introduce measures to prevent the evictions of those who could not pay their bills because of Covid-19.

“We will stay in regular contact and not initiate any action for rent arrears while they are experiencing difficulties as a result of the virus,” said Sarah Sargent from Radian Group, which has 80,000 tenants across south and south-west England.

“Our goal is always for our customers to maintain their tenancies and our tenancy sustainment team already provide support to customers.”

Other large housing associations said they relied on rental income but were monitoring the situation closely amid business continuity planning, while others said they rarely evicted people.

Quick guide What to do if you have coronavirus symptoms in the UK Show Hide Symptoms are defined by the NHS as either: a high temperature - you feel hot to touch on your chest or back

a new continuous cough - this means you've started coughing repeatedly NHS advice is that anyone with symptoms should stay at home for at least 7 days.

If you live with other people, they should stay at home for at least 14 days, to avoid spreading the infection outside the home. After 14 days, anyone you live with who does not have symptoms can return to their normal routine. But, if anyone in your home gets symptoms, they should stay at home for 7 days from the day their symptoms start. Even if it means they're at home for longer than 14 days. If you live with someone who is 70 or over, has a long-term condition, is pregnant or has a weakened immune system, try to find somewhere else for them to stay for 14 days. If you have to stay at home together, try to keep away from each other as much as possible. After 7 days, if you no longer have a high temperature you can return to your normal routine. If you still have a high temperature, stay at home until your temperature returns to normal. If you still have a cough after 7 days, but your temperature is normal, you do not need to continue staying at home. A cough can last for several weeks after the infection has gone.

Staying at home means you should: not go to work, school or public areas

not use public transport or taxis

not have visitors, such as friends and family, in your home

not go out to buy food or collect medicine – order them by phone or online, or ask someone else to drop them off at your home You can use your garden, if you have one. You can also leave the house to exercise – but stay at least 2 metres away from other people. If you have symptoms of coronavirus, use the NHS 111 coronavirus service to find out what to do. Source: NHS England on 23 March 2020

A source with knowledge of discussions between housing associations regarding the scheduled rent increase said events were developing quickly and there was a concern people would not be able to pay rents at all. In 2017, the UK’s housing associations made record operating profits of £3.5bn.

Crisis called on the government to ensure renters were not put at greater risk of eviction and homelessness.

“Crisis is calling for a temporary suspension of evictions of both social and private tenants,” said Matt Downie the charity’s policy director. “We are already seeing other countries implement such measures and urge the UK to take similar action as a matter of urgency.

“We would expect all social landlords to adopt the practice of the best, and ensure tenants who experience loss of earnings because of the pandemic are supported so that they are not at risk of homelessness.”

The G15 housing associations, which are responsible for about 600,000 homes in London, welcomed the extension of statutory sick pay – £94 a week – to include people advised to self-isolate because of Covid-19 and urged those ineligible to claim universal credit or employment support allowance.

“We are continuing our rent collection processes as normal, which include significant support for tenants experiencing hardship for whatever reason,” a spokesperson said. “G15 housing associations only use evictions in the absolute last resort.”

Chyrel Brown, the chief operating officer at One Housing, said: “We will continue to collect rents as we rely on this income to deliver essential services. We always offer advice and support to residents who find it difficult to pay their rent and will continue to offer this vital support.”

Simon Nunn, an executive director at the National Housing Federation, said: “Housing associations will do everything they can to support their residents at this challenging time. As charitable organisations [housing associations] are set up to support vulnerable residents and this includes helping those who may struggle financially by providing advice, help with budgeting and access to benefits.

“We would encourage any social housing tenant who is concerned about debt to reach out to their housing association. Many are working to put additional measures in place to support residents that may fall into rent arrears to get back on their feet.”

• This article was amended on 26 March 2020 and on 1 April 2020. An earlier version said that Crisis had found “more than 25,000 households evicted by housing associations” in 2018; this was corrected on 26 March to “homes repossessed by social landlords” to reflect the description in the Crisis report. Repossessions and evictions are not the same: the Regulator of Social Housing recorded 9,357 evictions from housing associations in England in 2018/19. The article was also amended to restore the full comment provided by Simon Nunn of the National Housing Federation. On 1 April the article was further amended after Crisis confirmed an error in its own monitoring report; the number of repossessions for 2018 was around 15,500, as it had indicated in a graphic, not 25,500 as it had stated in the text of the report. The article was also amended to make clear this figure was for England.

