Buy-to-let landlords could be facing up to 18 months without rent due to the government’s decision not to do more to help those tenants in financial difficulty due to Covid-19, the National Residential Landlords Association (NRLA) has calculated.

The organisation claims that tenants can build up significant rent arrears without any sanction, based on new regulations published yesterday.

The rules say that until 11 January 2021, possession orders by the courts related to rent arrears can only be enforced where the arrears amount to nine months or more of rent built before 23rd March. Anything built since then would be disregarded.

The NRLA argues that this is a missed opportunity to help those tenants in financial difficulty due to Covid-19, as it does nothing to address housing debt accrued since the beginning of the pandemic.

Ben Beadle, chief executive of the NRLA, commented: “In trying to arrive at a compromise the government has failed to help those in genuine need whilst rewarding those whose arrears have nothing to do with the pandemic, and in some cases are wilfully not paying their rent.

“This is doing nothing to help those tenants who are trying to do the right thing and seeking to pay off their debts.

“Instead of prolonging the problem with short-term fixes, the government needs to urgently bring in a financial package to enable tenants to pay off rent arrears.”