Coronavirus: Leeds council will not evict people during lockdown

The ruling covers all tenants, not only those affected by the coronavirus pandemic

A council has said it will not evict any tenant who is in arrears until the end of the coronavirus lockdown.

Leeds City Council said last month it would not take action against tenants who failed to pay their rent until the end of March.

That period has now been extended, even for those whose arrears are unrelated to the pandemic.

A council spokesperson said it had made the decision "due to unprecedented circumstances."

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The spokesperson added: "All possession action has been temporarily suspended, and evictions due to long-standing rent arrears, which were not related in any way to the outbreak, will not go ahead.

"These suspensions will remain in place in line with government guidance, and we will continually monitor the situation."

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Restrictions were put in place to combat the disease on 23 March, stating people should go out as little as possible and only leave if they had a "reasonable excuse".

Benefit advice charity Turn2Us urged landlords to give rent breaks to help those who had lost work because of the virus, or who were having to self-isolate.

According to the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS), the council said staff conducting emergency repairs on self-isolating households would be asked to wear protective equipment to prevent the spread of coronavirus.