Buy to Let
Tenant evictions to resume from 24th August
Guest Author:
Samantha PartingtonLandlords have been banned from evicting tenants during the Coronavirus crisis, but courts will resume proceedings next month
Courts will begin to hear landlord possessions again from 24 August, a government minister has confirmed.
Minister Lord Greenhalgh, at the Ministry for Housing, Communities and Local Government, confirmed there would be no further ban on evictions in response to a series of parliamentary questions.
After a five month suspension, the minister said that this would be “an important step towards ending the lockdown and will protect landlords’ important right to regain their property.”
He added that “the most vulnerable tenants can get the help they need when possession cases resume.”
On 8 June, government announced that new eviction notices in England and Wales would be suspended until 23 August. A three-month suspension on evictions was initially introduced in March.
When the extension was announced, the National Residential Landlords Association (NRLA) warned it could result in a “further impetus” to landlords exiting the market.
Responding to the decision to resume eviction hearings, Ben Beadle, chief executive of the NRLA, said: “The minister’s comments provide greater certainty for the rental market. We continue to work hard with landlords and tenants to sustain tenancies wherever possible. In the vast majority of cases this is happening.
“It is vital however that swift action can be taken against those tenants committing anti-social behaviour or domestic violence. We are calling also for priority to be given to cases where possession orders were granted prior to lockdown or where rent arrears have nothing to do with the Covid-19 pandemic.”