Self employed and renters have been completey shafted.

[Greysparkles]

Just that really.

The only people who have planned for this disaster are insurance companies.

That's why they have no force majeure clauses in all of their contracts.

Apirateslifeform - being CIS will you be due a rebate - hope you will. There's going to be a mad rush on CIS self-employed putting in their tax returns next month I would imagine.

Can I ask if anyone has or will be emailing their local MP about further help for the self employed... what did you ask? Just so I can see if there is anything I have missed? Thanks.

I have but it was a pre written petition one from the Early Years Alliance. I don’t expect much response (his auto reply said as much) because he’s a twat.

"My rent contract is terminated if I suddenly have to switch to housing benefit. So how does that work?"
Six months to a year rent free because no court will enforce that now.

It really is shit, my boyfriend has lost his job, he was at my home when my son developed a cough so is self isolating with us. Due to new advice after SI he can’t go home as his flatmate has CF.

Flatmate is self employed, he obviously cannot work, he can’t even attempt to get PAYE work due to his health.

I paid my boyfriends rent to cover next month, his landlord (who owns the property outright and several others in Islington) said any rent outstanding due to covid-19 will be due the month things go back to normal, what a prick. Luckily my boyfriends contract is up in July so he can give notice soon.

@PeterWeg you still have to pay rent throughout the process the court will order that when you eventually get there and a CCJ never helps anyone

@PeterWeg as far as I’m aware anyway, the law only states that evictions due to late/ non payment of rent are banned. However. There is a clause in most rental contracts that if a landlord requires the property back ‘for their own use’ then that is grounds for a fast eviction. I wonder how this will play out. Lots of landlords will need to sell their properties to stay afloat, or even live in them.

PeterWeg Please don't tell people to just stop paying their rent for a year because the courts have closed. The courts haven't closed and an awful lot of MPs are landlords. Your advice will make people 'intentionally homeless' with a CCJ, and that's not a good place for anyone to be.

Draft legislation on evictions ‘ban’ simply extends notice period to three months

NEWS
23/03/20
10:55 AM
BY PETER APPS

Draft legislation will simply extend the notice period for evictions from two months to three with landlords still able to serve notices on their tenants, Inside Housing can reveal

Twitter IHLegislation to ‘ban’ evictions simply extends notice period to three months #ukhousing
Twitter IHNew legislation will simply extend the notice period for evictions from two months to three, with landlords still able to serve notices on their tenants #ukhousing
Inside Housing has obtained a draft copy of the bill, which would cover England, and is set to go before the House of Commons today. The government had promised it would outlaw evictions in social and private housing during the coronavirus pandemic.

But the bill in fact simply extends the statutory notice period from two months to three for the vast majority of renters – meaning landlords can still serve notice and claim possession at the end of that period.

It also offers no protection to residents who can be evicted without notice – such as those in temporary housing or lodgers
One source said it was possible other draft bills are under consideration, and that this may not represent the final government plan. The Ministry for Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) was contacted for comment.

No provision is made for rent arrears that will be built up during this period if people are unable to work. The government has previously said it would encourage landlords and tenants to agree “an affordable repayment plan” for these arrears.

The bill is unlikely to take effect before Friday at the earliest – raising the prospect of a slew of notices before this date. One expert described the measures as “pathetic”, and another source called them “complete crap”.

The bill – part of the government’s emergency coronavirus legislation package which will be debated today – will amend Section 21 of the Housing Act 1988 to change the notice period for ‘assured shorthold tenancies’ from two months to three months

These are the type of tenancies the overwhelming majority of private tenants are given, and ‘Section 21’ gives landlords the power to bring them to an end at the conclusion of the lease period, which usually lasts for six months to a year.

To do so, the landlord must serve two months’ notice but does not need to give a reason – a process known as ‘no-fault eviction’ and something the government had previously promised to abolish.

But the new law will simply extend this notice period from two months to three.

Regulated, or Rent Act, tenancies (typically private tenancies which began before 1989) will see the notice period increase from four weeks to three months. Secured and assured tenancies – typically for residents of council homes and housing associations – will also see notice periods extended to three months.

The bill will be in force until 30 September.

Governments for the other countries in the UK may bring forward different measures, with the Scottish government today saying no tenants would be evicted during the period

Update at 11.25am on 23.3.2020

This story was updated to make it clearer that it is possible other draft bills are being developed.

The line "One source said it was possible other draft bills are under consideration" was extended to read "One source said it was possible other draft bills are under consideration, and that this may not represent the final government plan. The Ministry for Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) was contacted for comment.

The best bet with rent is to explain the situation to your LL, and make it clear that you will do all you can to ensure that you will pay as much as you can.
Apply for universal credit, you'll get a housing element. Then apply for a Discretionary Housing Payment from the council. It can take months for the council to look at it but in the meantime, pay as much of the rent as possible.
I keep reading people saying that evictions are being put on hold, when this mess is out of the way that eviction will go through and you'll end up with a new CCJ on your credit file for non payment of rent and find it seriously hard to find new housing.
Just demonstrate that you'll do everything within your grasp to pay as much rent as possible and you should be ok. A landlord will be much happier if you're £20 short than not paying anything at all.

I am a landlord and we have decided that we would give struggling tenants at least a month or two rent holidays. We know our tenants well and we know the reliable trustworthy ones and one or two not so good. We will not apply for the mortgage delay unless we struggle ourselves. We will not evict anyone ( it takes 6 months anyway) the good tenants deserve the slack and we will give it them. If it goes on for more than a couple onf months we may have to negotiate rent delays depending on their circumstances. We would advice them to apply to housing benefit asap

inews.co.uk/news/coronavirus-uk-government-help-pay-rent-homes-tenants-outbreak-campaign-2513945?utm_source=fb&utm_medium=fb&utm_campaign=ijp&fbclid=IwAR2dnJH_C4N9RDUBAVgENBm5pBVDsQxldNQ9N0iWgwcYsdFIhp-jhSyplqY

Coronavirus in the UK: Government bill to help tenants pay rent during outbreak 'fails to deliver on every aspect'
Tenants will also be expected to strike up a rent arrears agreement with their landlord

By Jasmine Andersson
Tuesday, 24th March 2020

The government's bill to protect renters during the coronavirus outbreak "fails to deliver on every aspect," warn campaigners.

Renters will be protected by the government from eviction for the next three months, even if they cannot pay their rent, announced Prime Minister Boris Johnson during Prime Minister's Questions on Wednesday.

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But scheduled amendments to the current Rent Act and Housing Act will still mean renters can be served notice, and would have to pay back their rent once the emergency measures are over, Inside Housing reported.

Landlords could serve notice during the outbreak
The draft bill scheduled for a reading in the House of Commons on Tuesday, will amend a clause in Section 21 of the Housing Act.

The government previously pledged to scrap Section 21, which gives landlords the right to evict tenants under a "no fault" clause, allowing them to evict tenants after they serve a two-month notice period. But these current plans mean the government has actually extended the statutory period to three months, giving landlords the right to serve notice during the outbreak, and evict tenants by June.

Residents who can currently be evicted without notice, such as those in temporary housing or lodgers, will also be exempt from the amendment to the bill.

Tenants will also be expected to strike up a rent arrears agreement with their landlord if they fail to pay rent after losing their job or earning significantly less during the outbreak, leaving renters at the mercy of the property owner.

Caitlin Wilkinson, Policy Manager at Generation Rent, said: "This legislation fails to deliver on these promises in every respect. All these measures do is extend the notice period for evictions to three months, which will provide little comfort to those faced with losing their homes in the midst of a pandemic. Equally worrying is the lack of provision made for rent arrears, which will stack up in the three month period.

"Many renters will end up with thousands of pounds worth of debt and no means of paying it off. Landlords and tenants are expected to 'work together' to find a solution to suit both parties from June onwards - but there's absolutely nothing to stop landlords from evicting tenants if they can't pay. Eviction is the leading cause of homelessness, so the Government must act now to avoid another crisis in three months' time.

Absolute nonsense'
The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government called the criticisms "absolute nonsense," and said the legislation "guarantees" that no tenant will be forced out of their home.

A spokesperson from the government department told i: “We have made a clear commitment to renters, and the claim that we are rowing back on it is absolute nonsense.

Our emergency legislation will guarantee no tenant is forced out of their home – in either the social sector or the private rented sector – for at least the next 3 months. No possession proceedings from new notices will start during this time, and we have the power to extend this notice period if necessary.”

At the same time, this Government is supporting renters through guaranteeing to pay 80 per cent of employee’s wages, if their employer cannot afford to pay them while they are on temporary leave, and increased housing benefit. We have been clear we will do whatever is needed to support people at this difficult time.”

I don’t understand the copy and pasting?

“Statutory self-employment pay
(1) The Secretary of State must, by regulations made by statutory
instrument, introduce a scheme of statutory self-employment pay for
those whose work has been impacted as a result of the coronavirus.
(2) The scheme must make provision for payments to be made out of
public funds to individuals who are—
(a) self-employed, or
(b) freelancers.
(3) Regulations made under subsection (1) may define the meanings of
“self-employed” and “freelancers” in subsection (2).
(4) The payments to be made under subsection (2) are to be set such that
the gross monthly earnings of an individual specified in subsection (2)
do not fall below—
(a) 80 per cent of their gross monthly earnings, averaged over the
previous 3 years (or if records do not date back 3 years, the
monthly net earnings averaged for the period records are
available), or
(b) £2,500,
whichever is lower.
(5) No payment made under subsection (2) shall exceed £2,500 per month.
(6) Regulations made under subsection (1) may provide that payments
made under subsection (2) must be paid back via self-assessment if the
payments were made in error.
(7) A statutory instrument containing regulations under this section is
subject to annulment in pursuance of a resolution of either House of
Parliament.”

You are all welcome