According to recent government data, some 335,860 homes - seven per cent of rental households in England – have fallen at least one month behind on rent payments during the Covid pandemic’s initial phases.

The average rent in England in July 2020 was £826 per month. This means the total rent arrears during wave one was at least £277.3 million. However, given that a number of households were more than one month in arrears, this is a relatively conservative figure.

The largest arrears growth was seen in the East Midlands, racking-up a rent areas rise of over 36 per cent in the first two waves of the pandemic.

During wave two of the pandemic, the number of households in England as a whole that had at least one month’s arrears increased from seven to nine per cent.