In April 2020, the UN Special Rapporteur on the right to adequate housing, Leilani Farha, called on states around the world to suspend evictions in order to prevent the spread of Covid-19. During the health crisis, the watchword “stay at home” thus made it possible to keep the most fragile populations in housing. Two years later, the Abbé-Pierre Foundation and the European Federation of National Associations Working with the Homeless (Feantsa) warn of the increase in the number of unpaid rents and the resurgence of the risk of evictions in the medium term.
“Deferred” eviction procedures in 2020
In the 7e edition of the annual report on poor housing in Europe, published Thursday, June 30, the Abbé-Pierre Foundation confirms that the year 2020 was marked by a drop in evictions in Europe. In Italy, for example, 70,000 evictions were suspended in 2020 and 2021. In France, too, the number of evictions with the assistance of the police has been halved.
“The Covid crisis has made it possible to highlight States’ awareness of the vulnerability of homeless people”, analyzes Sarah Coupechoux, Europe manager on poor housing in Europe for the foundation.
After the pandemic, on the other hand, evictions accelerated with the lifting of emergency moratorium measures. “The responsiveness of the institutions and all the players in the sector during the confinements in 2020 unfortunately did not bring about the expected systemic changes”, explains the report. Without eliminating the problem, the temporary measures only ” to differ “ the procedures, in particular those for unpaid rent.
8.3% of households in default of payment
However, arrears are becoming more and more important. Since 2020, “8.3% of poor households are in a situation of unpaid rent or loan repayment immovable “, explains Sarah Coupechoux. A share that increased by 20% between 2019 and 2021.
According to a survey conducted by a European body, Eurofound, during the pandemic, one in twenty households (5.4%) declared in March 2021 that they were at risk of having to leave their accommodation within three months due to an inability to pay his rent.
While these figures show that the most vulnerable households “have been weakened by the pandemic”, the report also mentions the difficulties that households face today in terms of purchasing power. Thus, Eurostat data shows that spending on housing continues to increase (+ 16% between December 2019 and December 2021). “To this is added a surge in prices, in particular the rise in energy prices which will weigh on household budgets while their income stagnates”, adds Sarah Coupechoux.
According to a latest count published by the UN at the end of June, more than 6 million Ukrainians have been displaced inside the country since the start of the Russian invasion. “This is an additional argument to alert the public authorities to the housing crisis. There will be real pressure on real estate in countries where accommodation facilities are already saturated,” explains Sarah Coupechoux. This is particularly the case of Poland, which at the end of April registered 3 million refugees from Ukraine.