Take Control of your Rent before 20th September

North Tyneside Citizens Advice is warning people to take control of their debts and their rent before 20th September, when the ban on evictions will be lifted. After this date, anyone in rent arrears will be at risk of eviction from their landlord. 

Many people have been struggling with their finances because of furlough or redundancy due to coronavirus – a recent survey by Which found that furloughed workers are three times more likely to have missed bill payments.  

If you’ve been having problems paying your bills, it’s important to take control of your finances now – before you face the risk of legal action. Try drawing up an action plan for which debts to pay first, and putting together a budget to keep track of your income and expenditure. You can read more about which debts to pay first on our website. 

The number of people visiting the Citizens Advice national website for help with rent arrears has increased dramatically in 2020, going up by 332% in the first 3 months of the coronavirus lockdown compared to the same period in 2019. The number of people looking for homelessness advice has also gone up by 139%. 

If you have any problems negotiating payments or discussing alternative solutions for your debt, North Tyneside Citizens Advice are here to help. Our free specialist debt advisers will go through your debts and bills with you, and help you bring your finances back under control.  

• Call our Adviceline for free on 0300 3309 047, Monday to Friday 9 – 5  
• Email us for a callback through our website, www.ntcab.org.uk  
• Contact our national Webchat service through www.CitizensAdvice.org.uk
  

What to do if you’ve been served with an eviction notice: 

• Act straight away. Start gathering evidence such as receipts for rent paid or any communications with your landlord.  
• For most tenancy types at least 3 months’ notice must be given for notices served after 26 March 2020. 
• The Government have introduced new rules for when possession hearings resume, which say that landlords wishing to restart proceedings halted by the possession ban must serve a ‘reactivation notice’ on the tenant and the court
• The landlord can only apply to court for a possession order after the notice has expired 
• If your landlord tries to force you to leave without a court order, this will be a criminal offence (there are exceptions – eg. lodgers). 
• Contact us for advice – call 0300 3309 047 or visit our website at https://www.ntcab.org.uk/get-advice/