Housing, Communities and Local Government Committee

PARLIAMENT - Housing, Communities and Local Government Committee has issued a further call for evidence on the impact of Covid-19 on tenants, landlords, rough sleepers and homelessness.

In an interim report published in May, the Committee found that successful efforts to tackle rough sleeping during the Covid-19 pandemic risked being squandered if the Government failed to implement and fund a comprehensive exit strategy. It called for dedicated funding of at least £100m a year

in long term housing support to prevent thousands of people currently in temporary accommodation returning to the streets. The Committee further warned of a looming homelessness crisis as private sector renters currently unable to pay rent, face building up debt or losing their homes when the current ban on evictions expires.

The Committee has issued an updated call for evidence to understand how effective Government support has been in tackling the negative impact of Covid-19 on tenants, landlords, rough sleepers and the homelessness. It will also consider what additional support may be needed over winter months and following the increase in infection rates.

Call for evidence

The Housing, Communities and Local Government Committee wants to hear your views. It welcomes submissions from anyone with answers to the questions in the terms of reference. More information about how to submit evidence is available here.

The Committee invites evidence on the following issues:

• How effective has the support provided by the Government been in addressing the impact of COVID-19 on tenants, landlords, rough sleepers and the homeless? 
• What might the impact be of a second wave of coronavirus on homelessness and the private rented sector?
• What estimates or data are available on the number of eviction notices served during the ban on evictions?
• What are the best policy options for helping tenants with rent arrears caused by coronavirus?

The deadline for submissions is Friday 27 November

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