Mar

Keep calm and landlord on – top tips for supporting tenants

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The Coronavirus pandemic has caused widespread disruption to
homes, businesses and industries, with many people concerned about how they
will pay their bills, support their families and maintain their livelihoods.
For landlords and tenants the uncertainty surrounding rental payments, current
living arrangements and potential contingency plans are understandably at the
forefront of many people’s minds.

It is now more important than ever to look to support one
another in any capacity we can in order to navigate this challenging time. Today,
the NLA
and RLA have released a joint statement providing detailed guidance
on steps landlords can take.

“We are encouraging all landlords to work
positively with tenants to provide support where needed throughout this
difficult period. Landlords should be as flexible as they can to help tenants
facing payment difficulties resulting from the impact of the coronavirus.

To support landlords in this we are calling for a package of measures from government and mortgage providers. This includes a temporary scrapping of the five week wait before Universal Credit claimants get their first payment, pausing the final phase of restricting mortgage interest relief to the basic rate of income tax and ensuring lenders look sympathetically on requests by landlords for mortgage payment holidays where their income is being affected through reduced or non-payment of rent.” Read the full landlord guidance here.

Positive landlord and
tenant stories prevail

Despite the uncertainty created by Coronavirus, positive and
heart-warming stories have emerged of landlords taking proactive and thoughtful
steps to help support their tenants at this difficult time.

A tenant, Amy Gledhill, tweeted an emotional statement
surrounding the current pandemic, which has now had 22.5K retweets and 171.7K
likes on the social media site, after her landlord messaged her about the current
uncertainty surrounding COVID-19. Her landlord, Chris, wanted to ensure that
she felt “secure in the house” and would be open to working something out if
her “circumstances change”, he signed off by asking Amy and her family to take
care of themselves.

In her tweet,
Amy implores other landlords to also do the same.

Opening good lines of landlord
tenant communication is vital to help provide mutual support and
guidance during times of uncertainty and can make a real difference to those
concerned about their current position.

A twitter poll
conducted by LandlordZONE asking “Landlords, would you give your
tenants a rent holiday due to the impact of Coronavirus?” found a close split
between those who said they would (48.2 per cent) and those who currently
wouldn’t offer rent holidays at 51.8 per cent.

This is a difficult decision for landlords, many of whom most
likely would like to be able to offer rent holidays but are unable to due to
the immense pressure this puts on their own finances, bills and mortgages. It
is important to note that whether you are a landlord or a tenant you are likely
to currently be in the same boat at the present time, and so working together
to find workable solutions that benefit you both is a sensible approach.

Current support for landlords
and their tenants

The
Government has now announced a comprehensive package to support the private
rented sector, this will apply to both landlords and tenants providing security
during this period.

In a
statement released on the Ministry
of Housing and Local Government (MHCLG) website, the Housing Secretary
Robert Jenrick has announced that landlords will be offered a three-month
mortgage holiday for the duration of the Coronavirus outbreak.

In
addition, there will be a delay
in eviction proceedings for three months during the current
pandemic. The Housing Secretary commented: “The government is clear – no renter who has lost income due
to coronavirus will be forced out of their home, nor will any landlord face
unmanageable debts.”

The MHCLG
also stated that guidance will be issued which asks landlords to show compassion
and to allow tenants who are affected by this to remain in their homes wherever
possible.

To
recap, landlords should be aware of the following announcements from the MHCLG:

Emergency legislation to suspend
new evictions from social or private rented accommodation while this national
emergency is taking place
No new possession proceedings
through applications to the court to start during the crisis
Landlords will also be protected
as three month mortgage payment holiday is extended to buy to let mortgages

In
these unprecedented times support, compassion and understanding are the key
messages reiterated throughout the sector.

It is highly likely that additional measures and/or
updates will be provided in the coming days which will impact on landlords and
their tenants. Make sure to regularly check GOV.UK
and MHCLG
for the most up to date advice and guidance.

Landlord and tenant
wellbeing

Now more than ever it is incredibly important to
ensure the continued health and wellbeing of your tenants.Coming together and supporting your tenants during this time can
help you to maintain a good landlord-tenant relationship, as well as helping to
reassure tenants who may be concerned over recent developments and worried
about issues such as paying the rent.

Some top tips for supporting the mental wellbeing
of your tenants and yourself include:

Understand
your tenant’s current needs. This can help you to be able to provide
suitable support. In challenging times, you may need to prioritise your
tenant’s wellbeing or look for mutually beneficial solutions to the problems
you both face
Communication
is absolutely essential. It is important for landlords to establish a clear
line of contact with their tenants
Don’t just be a landlord, be a friend. Nobody
knows what the next few weeks will bring and this uncertainty will be causing
many landlords to feel concerned. Sharing your worries with your tenants will
help everyone to see concerns from each other’s points of view. It is very
likely that you are both experiencing similar worries
Don’t
forget to also protect
your mental health as a landlord.

Read more information on how you can support your tenant’s mental wellbeing, as well as your own, here.

With the current situation developing day by day there is a
significant amount of further change on the horizon for the whole of the UK. The
main message at the present time is to support one another, stay on track with industry
and government
updates and ‘keep calm and landlord on’.

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