Four out of 10 landlords (39%) want the Government to introduce a fast-track housing tribunal if the Section 21 ‘no-fault’ eviction process is abolished, according to Paragon.

The Government announced its intention to abolish Section 21 in April this year.

What is Section 21?

The Section 21 ‘no-fault’ eviction process was introduced in The Housing Act 1988 and has been a mainstay of the UK’s Private Rented Sector, said Paragon.

It allows landlords to give tenants two months’ notice of their intention to take possession of a property at any time after the initial fixed term of the tenancy agreement has expired.

And if it’s abolished?

In its place, the Government proposes that landlords should follow the Section 8 process which requires them to demonstrate that tenants are in breach of their rental agreement when serving notice.

But there have been concerns from landords that this process takes too long.

What landlords want

Alongside a fast-track tribunal, almost a quarter of landlords in Paragon’s survey (24%) called for a shorter court process, one in seven (15%) would like a guaranteed way to cover their costs and 7% argued for the ability to submit evidence online.

The majority of landlords (84%) said they felt the maximum time from serving notice to taking possession should be no longer than eight weeks.

According to the MHCLG’s recent English Private Landlord Survey (1), the vast majority of tenancies end at the tenant’s request.

John Heron, director of mortgages at Paragon said: “Some of the main concerns for landlords around a move to the Section 8 eviction process relate to the efficacy of the existing court process.

“What we see here is widespread support for a fast-track housing tribunal that can deliver a fair and timely solution for both landlords and tenants.”