Nov

LATEST: Courts drop Covid eviction rules that cost thousands of landlords dearly

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The Master of the Rolls Sir Geoffrey Voss (pictured) has revealed that the ‘overall arrangements’ brought in by courts to control and limit evictions during the Covid pandemic have officially come to an end as of 1^st November.

This brings down the curtain on an 18-month period of extreme stress and additional expense for landlords seeking to evict tenant unless they involved a narrow set of circumstances including ‘extreme rent arrears’ and anti-social behaviour.

Although expected at some point this year as Covid restrictions relaxed, the key change for landlords confirmed today is that those seeking to evict tenants will no longer have to undergo ‘review hearings’ before moving to ‘substantive hearings’.

Delays and expense

This means the long court delays and additional expense experienced by thousands of landlords during the pandemic will now become a thing of the past and eviction will hopefully return to some sort of pre-pandemic ‘normal’.

Also, the prioritisation of certain kinds of evictions set out in the ‘overall arrangements’ brought in June last year will now be wound down.

“The Court should revert to fixing a date when it issues the claim form with the former standard period between issue and hearing of eight weeks applying again,” says Paul Sowerbutts (pictured), Head of Legal at Landlord Action.

“Cases may well again revert back to an initial hearing in a block of other private landlord matters.

“What happens and whether there will be remote hearings we will have to wait and see. But coronavirus provisions remain in force and so notices as to the effect of Coronavirus still need to be served.”

Read the official statement in full.

View Full Article: LATEST: Courts drop Covid eviction rules that cost thousands of landlords dearly