Around 174,000 tenants could be forced to leave their homes in the coming months unless the ban on evictions is extended, housing charities told MPs this afternoon.

Speaking at the Housing, Communities and Local Government select committee hearing this afternoon on homelessness and the private rented sector, Shelter policy officer Ruth Ehrlich told members that the ban on evictions has been helpful but more needs to be done to support renters if this moratorium comes to an end on August 23 as planned.

She said that around 58,000 tenants have already left their rental properties during the pandemic at their landlord’s request.

Generation Rent policy and public affairs manager Caitlin Wilkinson echoed the warnings, predicting that there would be a spike in evictions and consequently a rise in homelessness when the eviction ban ends.

She said that while evictions have been on hold, rental arrears have continued to mount, which will put thousands more tenants at risk of losing their homes when the moratorium ends.

Wilkinson said there was a risk that tenants could be unable to access Legal Aid if services become overwhelmed as soon as possession cases are allowed to proceed.

National Residential Landlords Association director of policy Chris Norris told MPs that the organisation’s own research among tenants found that 90 per cent of those questioned had been able to continue paying rent.

Of those remaining, he said that 1 per cent had existing arrears before the Covid crisis and around 6 per cent were being offered some form of rent holiday.

But Ehrlich said that several different surveys had been conducted, which generally put the proportion of tenants in arrears during the pandemic at somewhere between 5 and 10 per cent.

She pointed out that this is between two and five times normal levels of arrears as ordinarily only around 2 per cent of tenants are behind with rent.

Ehrlich said: “It’s still over a million people who are in arrears and that’s half million homes at risk. 

“We anticipate in terms of significant arrears as the months go on as more paychecks are missed and more rent payments come up that those arrears will increase, particularly when the furlough schemes ends which is something that we’re really concerned about. 

“It is crucial to remember that any arrears are significant when you can be served a Section 21 notice at any time. 

“Anything that puts you at greater risk is a real concern.”

Speaking on behalf of landlords, Norris said that many found themselves in “judicial limbo” as tenants who were already facing eviction before lockdown due to severe arrears, were still in their properties and not paying rent.

He urged the government not to enact a “blanket” extension to the ban on evictions, but to consider localised bans if necessary to comply with local lockdowns, should these be introduced to contain outbreaks.

Ehlrich and Wilkinson both called for the government to boost benefits for those suffering a loss of income due to Covid and urged ministers to push ahead with plans to ban Section 21 evictions.