Debt crisis ‘engulfing rental market’ in UK, landlords warn

Government must step in to help tenants pay off debts

More than 800,000 renters have built up rent arrears since March, says NRLA (Getty Images/iStockphoto)

Over 800,000 private renters in England and Wales are in arrears as lockdown measures severely impact their ability to work, landlords have warned.

A survey of tenants for the National Residential Landlords Association (NRLA) suggested that seven per cent of private renters - around 840,000 tenants - have built arrears averaging between £251 and £500 due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Of those in arrears, 18 per cent now have rent debts of more than £1,000 - equivalent to over 150,000 tenants.