As the threat of death from coronavirus subsides due to shutdowns, the next question becomes, how do Australians survive the aftermath of the crisis?

The health impact of coronavirus and its high fatality rate among the elderly or those with other conditions, or comorbidities, has understandably been the key concern for leaders and governments.

But the issue of maintaining the roof over the heads of eight million Australians has been kicked off the agenda of the National Cabinet six separate times and left to the states and territories to deal with.

The nation's residential renters — the one-in-three people who pay to lease their home — should feel let down.

Commercial landlords and tenants have national attention

Commercial leases, for shops and businesses, have enjoyed a nationally-agreed set of guidelines.

Landlords must offer "proportionate reductions" in rent based on the reduction in a tenant's trade.

Essentially, if your shop's turnover is down 60 per cent, your rent must go down by at least 60 per cent, either as a reduction or a waiver (that is, you never pay).

This is during the pandemic and for a recovery period after.

It's blessed relief for a local bar or dog grooming salon that has seen a collapse in trade or been forced to shut.

But what about where the bartender and dog groomer live?

If their income has gone down 60 per cent, or even 100 per cent, all they've heard in these aching weeks is "negotiate a rent reduction with your landlord" — one line of advice.

And what if the landlord says no?

Eviction ban? Not really

Back in March, Prime Minister Scott Morrison announced a "moratorium on evictions over the next six months for commercial and residential tenancies in financial distress".

But it has no basis in law until it's legislated in each state and territory, and so far only three have done so.

This problem isn't theoretical.

Some renters have paid their most recent bills and have no money for food and no prospect of paying the next instalment.

It's heart-wrenching to see people skipping meals, pregnant mothers trying to isolate inside and avoid coronavirus but being told to go out and search for a new property, unemployed parents home-schooling their children and deciding whether to pay for rent or food.

Evictions are still happening right now.

Even if renters in three states have legislated protection from eviction if they've lost their livelihood due to the crisis, some are still being booted under clauses as broad as "any grounds" by landlords who want them out — either to return to the property themselves or to rent out again to a paying tenant.

Renters could be left owing thousands of dollars

Meanwhile, even if the eviction ban holds, renters without income, or who've suffered massive drops, will be accruing thousands of dollars in rental arrears.

Property analysis firm CoreLogic puts the median rent at $436 a week.

People on the base level of unemployment support, JobSeeker, will receive $550 a week.

Subtract food and utilities and how many will have saved $11,336 by September to pay the rent they owe back?

Now, real estate agents are caught in the middle of nervous tenants and angry landlords.

Some spooked agents have been breaching strict laws against providing financial advice, by suggesting renters plunder their superannuation to meet rental commitments.

Emails show some agents won't even contact landlords to ask for a rental reduction without tenants attempting to access their retirement savings.

Even if the slow process of accessing your superannuation is successful, the agent's suggestion exposes them to a potential jail term of five years.

Watchdog ASIC sent a letter to the peak body for real estate agents in each state and territory warning them off.

But a parliamentary hearing was told even after that scolding by the regulator, it was still receiving scores of complaints every day.

Tax system lured landlords into making losses

Landlords are, statistically, older and richer.

The tax system has incentivised the purchase of property as an investment.

A huge swathe of housing stock is held by property owners who negatively gear the properties.

Some landlords may have been over-extended, lured by tax breaks and historically cheap debt, to build a small empire of properties they can't afford.

Many are learning that property is not a financial escalator, or even a travellator, heading in one direction — sometimes you go backwards.

Other landlords lost jobs themselves and have also lost the income from their properties.

Clearly, the coronavirus' disruption on housing is multi-layered and wide-reaching.

Amid a public health emergency that demands people stay in their homes and avoid moving around outside, while some landlords might be worried about losing rental income, many renters will settle for just keeping a roof over their head.