Government announces three-month eviction moratorium

The government will extend the eviction moratorium until the end of this year, communities secretary Robert Jenrick has announced today.

As was suggested earlier this week, the government has now confirmed a moratorium extension for businesses, such as retail and hospitality, that have struggled the most during the pandemic.

Originally set to come to an end on 30 October, the three-month extension is intended to give businesses a chance to focus on rebuilding over the autumn and Christmas period without threat of eviction, the government has said.

“I am announcing today that we are extending support to protect those businesses that are unable to pay their rent from eviction to the end of the year,” said Jenrick. “This will stop businesses going under and protect jobs over the coming months.

“This government is committed to supporting businesses and our high streets at this difficult time, and this extension of support will help businesss recover from the impacts of the pandemic and plan for the future.”

Responding to the announcement, UK Hospitality CEO Kate Nicholls said: “This is a welcome step forward and should give businesses some much-needed breathing room to come to agreements. This alone, however, is not going to solve the crisis.

“It’s critical that the Government also extends the moratorium on statutory demands and winding-up petitions and include County Court Judgments. This should be extended until the end of March 2021 to give maximum opportunity to find solutions.

“It needs to be followed by further support which, crucially, must include working with landlords and tenants to find a mutually equitable solution. The debt is not going to go away and many businesses have no chance of paying. This is a stay of execution, but we are still short of a full reprieve.”