The announcement comes after First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said last week that no-one should face eviction as a result of the crisis.

And in new guidance issued to social landlords, the Scottish Government said it is actively considering how best this can be addressed, and on what wider measures can be put in place to support people against the economic impacts of coronavirus, pledging to make further announcements on this “as soon as is possible”.

But the SFHA has called on the Scottish Government to support social landlords that experience income loss during the crisis.

Sally Thomas, SFHA chief executive, said: “We, of course, agree with the First Minister that no-one should face eviction as a result of financial hardship caused by the coronavirus crisis. This is absolutely the right thing to do socially and morally.   

“However, rental income is vital for housing associations and co-operatives as social not-for-profit businesses. It allows them to provide support and services for tenants and to carry out essential repairs and maintenance work. 

“Housing associations work hard to help their tenants to manage their rent through tenancy support, welfare advice, and financial inclusion services.  

“We will work with the Scottish Government to ensure that our members, and their tenants, can cope with any negative effects of the coronavirus outbreak. This will include working together to ensure there is financial support for social landlords that experience income loss as a result of coronavirus. This support is more important than ever as we all work together to minimise the impact of the crisis on the most vulnerable people in our communities.” 

Meanwhile, the SFHA has announced it will stop issuing its daily Housing Scotland Today bulletin and replace this with a weekly roundup email in an effort to maximise internal resource and provide members with the support, information and advice they need during the COVID-19 outbreak.

• Read all of our articles relating to COVID-19 here.