Tenancy agreements beginning in 2020 or early 2021 should be compelled to include a clause providing for a variation (or renegotiation) of the terms of the tenancy contract, if that tenancy is directly impacted by the COVID19 crisis. This would allow the landlord and tenant to come to an agreement about the most appropriate course of action for them both, be it early termination of the tenancy or a negotiated reduction in rent whilst the crisis continues to have an impact. 

The national COVID19 crisis has seen tenants still being forced to pay full rent for properties that they either are unable to safely occupy, or unable to afford due to their income being unexpectedly and severely affected. With most landlords refusing to renegotiate the terms of their tenancy agreements, the impact of COVID19 on the UK housing sector has fallen solely on the tenants, many of whom are now plunged into financial hardship.

With suggestions the UK will still be suffering the impacts of the COVID19 crisis for many months to come, renters who are currently signing tenancy agreements for the future should be protected from being contractually bound to pay full rent for properties they may never be able to safely move into. 

This is especially problematic for university students signing tenancy agreements starting in August or September, for the next academic year. With suggestions that universities may stay closed until December, this may leave students obliged to pay for both an unoccupied university accommodation, as well as their home accommodation, for up to 5 months. This could leave many students unable to afford to return to university for the remainder of their studies.

We are calling on the biggest Landlord Associations to compel their Landlord Members to adopt a fair and compassionate response to the COVID19 crisis affecting their tenants; by compelling them to protect future tenants with a COVID19 Tenancy Variation Clause in future tenancy agreements.