More than 800,000 private tenants owe their landlords rent - what to do if you’re struggling

More than 800,000 private tenants living in England and Wales could be behind on their rent, after a year of high redundancies, pay cuts and gaps in support for self employed workers throughout the pandemic.

Young people and the self employed are the groups most likely to be currently struggling with rent payments, as young people in particular have been disproportionately impacted by job losses.

Lack of support for tenants

Self employed tenants were most likely to be in arrears, at 17 per cent, with 18 to 24 year olds the next worst affected, at 14 per cent.

A survey for the National Residential Landlords Association found that seven per cent of tenants said they’d built up rent arrears due to the pandemic, with some more than £1,000 in debt.

While homeowners, including landlords, were able to apply for mortgage holidays throughout the pandemic, no such support exists across the board for tenants.

Some tenants have been able to negotiate reduced rates and holidays on an individual basis with landlords, but many have not been able to secure such deals and, as a result, have fallen into arrears.