According to a recent survey carried out for a trade body, nine out of ten private renters have paid their rent in full since the onset of Covid-19.

The research was carried out between May 20th - 25th in England and Wales with 90% stating that they had made rent payments as normal.

The trade body commissioned the survey of over 2,000 tenants which also found that 84% of tenants did not ask for any assistance from their landlord.

The trade body strongly believes that when the repossession bans are finally lifted, courts must prioritise the cases where rental debts were accrued before the lockdown. High priority should also be given to cases involving tenants trapped in domestic abuse situations and those who have committed anti social behaviour.

It is also in favour of a type of hardship loan scheme for those tenants whose existing house benefit payments have been insufficient to cover their extra costs incurred during the pandemic, and are confident that they can recover their financial stability within the short to medium term.

The government would pay the landlords directly and the loans would eventually be repaid by tenants, within a specified number of years.

The trade body has also been working closely with the government to introduce a set of rules that tenants and landlords can adhere to, in order to reach a common agreement on how best rental arrears can be dealt with to stop evictions.

A spokesperson for the trade body, said: “This survey reflects what we know from our members, which is that nearly all are seeking to support tenants to stay in their homes. Given that some 30% of landlords have reported facing some level of financial hardship, they will do all they can to sustain tenancies.”