She continues: “If the government doesn’t act, thousands could be at risk of eviction and homelessness. Generation Rent is calling on Rishi Sunak to introduce a Covid Rent Debt Fund, which would support renters in debt, and raise Universal Credit to ensure it covers the cost of average rents.”

Neate adds: “Two thirds of private renters have no savings at all, and there is no way they can scrape together the cash needed to afford a 5% deposit, nor do they have the kind of income that would support a huge mortgage. It is not fair to peddle people pipedreams.

“The government should be looking at meaningful solutions to the housing crisis, which is causing misery for millions, not reaching for political soundbites. The only way to solve this emergency in the long-term is to invest in many more social homes that people can afford to live in.”

And what about social housing?

“One area the chancellor must consider is housing – particularly social housing,” housing charity Shelter shares in a blog post titled Fixing The Economy Starts With Home. “A strong economy, as former chancellors were keen to tell us, is built on solid foundations. There is no more important foundation than access to a safe, secure, and affordable home.

“We are not alone in seeing social housing as a vital part of our economic recovery. Today, a number of chief executives from some of the UK’s biggest companies, from banking to home improvement, come together to ask the prime minister and the chancellor to take action.”

You can find more information about housing and renting during the pandemic on the Shelter, Generation Rent and MoneySuperMarket websites.

Budget 2021: what do renters and first-time buyers need to know?