Ed Davey: Ban home repossessions and evictions over Christmas period

15 Dec 2022

EMBARGO: 22:30 Tuesday 13th December

Liberal Democrat Leader Ed Davey has called on the government to bring in an emergency ban on banks repossessing people’s homes over the Christmas period.

It comes as analysis by the party revealed a “mortgage nightmare before Christmas,” with roughly 62,500 homeowners due to see their mortgage rate hiked between now and 31 December.

The Liberal Democrats are also calling on the government to immediately bring in its long-promised ban on no-fault evictions to protect renters, along with an increase in housing benefit and a moratorium on evictions based on rent arrears to protect those facing soaring rental prices.

Ed Davey warned the government must act now before Parliament breaks up for recess, adding that no-one should face losing their home over Christmas because the Conservatives crashed the economy.

The Liberal Democrat proposals would include a temporary ban on banks repossessing people’s homes over the Christmas period. The party is also calling for a Mortgage Protection Fund to support homeowners hardest hit by soaring mortgage prices. The latest figures show a significant increase in people at risk of seeing their home repossessed, with 3,680 mortgage possessions claims in the courts between July and September, up 30% on the same period last year.

Liberal Democrat Leader Ed Davey said:

“Thousands of families are facing a nightmare before Christmas as their monthly mortgage payments go through the roof.

“The Conservative government put hundreds of pounds on people’s mortgages through their disastrous mini budget. The very least they could now do is to take responsibility for fixing this mess and protecting homeowners on the brink.

“Jeremy Hunt must act now before it’s too late, by bringing in a temporary ban on home repossessions and a mortgage rescue fund to support those hardest hit. The government must also finally bring in its long-promised ban on no-fault evictions to protect renters at risk of homelessness this winter.

“No-one should face losing their home this Christmas because the Conservative government crashed the economy.”

ENDS

Notes to Editor:

UK Finance data shows that 600,000 fixed-term mortgage deals will expire in the second half of 2022, with those mortgage holders usually moved to much higher Standard Variable Rate mortgages. This suggests that roughly 62,466 will see their fixed-rate deals end in the 19 days between today (Wednesday December 14th) and December 31st.

In November, the Bank of England said that a typical mortgage holder in this group would face an increase in mortgage payments of around £3,000 a year (Monetary Policy Report, p. 53).

A temporary ban on home repossessions was brought in during the Covid pandemic, but was lifted in May 2021. Banks also collectively agreed last year not to carry out any repossessions over the Christmas period.

The Liberal Democrats are proposing a new Mortgage Protection Fund, which would provide temporary grants to those most at risk of repossession – homeowners on the lowest incomes and those seeing the sharpest rises in mortgage rates. Anyone who sees their mortgage payments rise by more than 10% of their household income would get a grant to cover the cost of that rise for the next year, up to a maximum of £300 a month.

The Liberal Democrats are also calling on the government to urgently bring back pandemic-era protections for renters, including:

An immediate ban on no-fault evictions
A moratorium on evictions on grounds of rent arrears, unless arrears exceed 6 months. This measure was in place for 6 months in 2020-21.
Extend the mandatory notice period given by landlords from the current 2 months to 6 months. This was in place for 18 months in 2020 and 2021.