Misery of court backlogs ‘getting much worse’, evictions expert warns
Eviction firm LegalforLandlords says possession cases are being held up for months as courts struggle to cope.
A solicitor has warned that court logjams are reaching crisis point as landlords and letting agents become more desperate to achieve evictions.
Sim Sekhon (main picture), MD of Legal services group LegalforLandlords says landlords and agents face serious delays in the courts, especially in London, as they try to regain possession of their properties.
Funding cuts and the effects of the Covid pandemic have added to the backlog of cases, the group says.
Leaving
Fears about measures in the Renters Reform Bill, mean landlords are leaving the sector and pursuing no-fault evictions while they can, according to LegalforLandlords.
The Renters Reform Bill will overturn Section 21 of the Housing Act 1988, which allows no fault evictions. The bill plans to extend the grounds for possession under Section 8 instead, meaning many more cases will go through the courts.
“Often these are small-scale landlords who are at the end of their tether.”
Sekhon adds: “We shouldn’t forget that every month of a delay represents a significant financial cost to a landlord along with continuing stress and worry.
Many landlords are stuck. Their financial position is deteriorating.”
He says Edmonton, Willesden, Croydon, Clerkenwell & Shoreditch, Stratford, Central London and Romford as places where landlords are in for very long waits.
Sekhon says: “Many landlords are stuck. Their financial position is deteriorating. And the misery is made so much worse because they don’t know when the situation will be finally resolved.”
Not cope
Recently, Propertymark warned that courts will not be able to cope once Section 21 evictions are banned.
Agents and landlords ‘face eviction delays and bigger bills’, solicitors warn
