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IUT is carefully monitoring developments together with our members in response to the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic and its consequences. Read our IUT statement and position paper here.
We are collecting information from key resources and publishing news in our news section, and in the listing to the right. This section gather links on tenant organisations initiatives and successes from various sources, including from authorities globally. Please note that the information provided is not fully comprehensive given the fast-evolving environment. For health advice please refer to your national health authority.
These pages will be updated regularly. We welcome your input to help keep up to date with the latest developments. You can also contact individual team members by e-mail or telephone as shown in Contacts section of the website.
We are here to support all our members during this time.
MESSAGE FROM ANNIKA WAHLBERG, SECRETARY GENERAL OF IUT:
SUPPORTING TENANTS BY WORKING TOGETHER
Dear Members and Supporters,
We have entered dark times. The coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 continues to spread throughout the world since it was discovered only a few months ago. The disease covid-19 has already taken a deadly toll and from what we now understand, this pandemic may last for a long time.This calls for strong and persistent support and lobbying from all our members to their local governments and local authorities in all aspects in this matter in support of tenants.
We recommend all members to recurrently review these matters as they are constantly updated and to send examples of best practice to us at the IUT offices.
Yours sincerely,
Annika Wahlberg
IUT:
Read our statement in support of tenants from IUT – Don’t make the Covid-19 pandemic crisis a homelessness crisis
United Nations
Takes actions via its Economic and Social Council and has a dedicated page to the Covid-19 outbreak.
Leilani Farha, UN Special Rapporteur on the right to adequate housing & Global Director, The Shift, has issued a guidance paper on protecting renters and mortgage payers.
Government initiatives:
See news to the right, and more in our news section.
Tenants Organisations:
See news to the right, and more in our news section.
- The Swedish Union of Tenants has sent a letter to landlords and property owners asking for leniency towards tenants in light of the pandemic. The letter was sent to all landlords and owners of rental properties, that is 300 municipality companies in Sweden that own some 800,000 flats and 30,000 private landlords that own nearly 750,000 units.
- The Lisbon tenants association has sent three letters to the Government with their demands for tenants.
- 16th March IUT AIL covid19 measures part1
- 23rd March IUT AIL covid19 measures part2
- report IUT AIL housing academic network
- UK Renters have been advised to contact their landlord for a rent holiday, but there is no obligation for landlords to offer one at present.
- Already, areas of Spain and cities across the USA have halted evictions for the duration of the pandemic, with France making funds available to postpone rent payments altogether.
Individual ideas:
- On a case by case basis, up to six months rent free. (say 4000 Euros total).
This 4000 to be added to the rent for the next 72 months, 6 years (56 Euros per month). No interest payable. A contract to be signed that if that person moves they pay it all back. (G.Jones)