Ahead of the Welsh election in May, the National Residential Landlords Association (NRLA) has called on the Welsh government to improve financial support and end restrictions that it says has plunged tenants and landlords into debt.

The association, which represents more than 90,000 members across England and Wales, believes the existing arrangements are counter-productive and ultimately are not in the wider interests of either landlords or tenants.

Consequently, the NRLA is urgently calling on the Welsh government to reform of the current eviction ban, which includes exemptions for cases citing anti-social behaviour, trespass, and abandonment. But unlike in England, no such exemption exists for extreme rent arrears.

Landlords must be allowed to end failed tenancies, especially where debt began to accrue before the first lockdown, according to the NRLA.

It also wants to see widen access to Tenancy Saver Loans: The Welsh government launched a Tenancy Saver Loan scheme last autumn to help tenants cover their arrears giving five years to repay their credit union lender. However, it is not open to those with unable to meet strict “creditworthiness” criteria, thereby excluding those most at need.

The NRLA is also calling the government to provide an exit strategy. It believes a clear timetable is needed for transitioning from emergency measures, including an exit from the extended notice periods that were introduced in Spring 2020.

Whilst supportive of the tenancy saver loan scheme, the NRLA wants the Welsh government to lower the eligibility threshold for the loan scheme so “creditworthiness” issues are considered within the context of the pandemic. The membership organisation for landlords is also asking for the 1% interest rate on the loan to be scrapped, with the credit unions compensated from the funding pot.

Ben Beadle, chief executive, NRLA, said: “The Welsh government needs to get a grip of the rent debt crisis that is engulfing renters and landlords. Access to the Tenancy Saver Loan scheme must be widened to include more renters in need.

“If action is not taken now, there will come a time when emergency measures are finally lifted when a failure to deal with rent debt will lead to tenants having to leave their homes, facing serious damage to their credit scores.

“It is time for the Welsh Government to recognise the scale of this crisis and take urgent action to help households and housing providers.”