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Evictions moratorium “very unlikely” to be extended

All indicators from inside government and the court system suggest the government is not going to execute another U-turn.

Nigel Lewis

Link to ROPA news

The government is ‘almost certainly not’ contemplating a U-turn on its evictions ban, which is due to end on Monday when possession hearings are to re-start in courts across England.

Today is the last chance the government has to let the courts know that the ban must continue, but an industry insider has told The Negotiator that this is now “very unlikely to happen”.

Also, last night the Master of the Rolls Sir Terence Etherton circulated confirmation of the new regulations and protocols that letting agents and landlords will have to follow if they wish to restart or request a possession hearing and evict a tenant.

“All the signals coming out of government and the courts suggest strongly that Ministers do not intend to cave into pressure from Shelter and Generation Rent and change its mind this time,” the source said.

“Ministers are aware that landlord patience is beginning to run out but from Monday onwards, at least they can begin ejecting tenants who are more than 12 months behind in their rent.”

The original evictions ban was announced at the end of March and then extended in June until the end of August, and then once more until September 21st.

evictions“Before Covid it used to take around five months to evict a tenant who had stopped paying their rent,” Landlord Action’s Paul Shamplina told LBC.

“But following the Covid evictions moratorium and the other measures introduced, plus the extra time it will take to get a court order due to the backlog, means many landlords will be looking at a 12-14 month wait to get their properties back.”

Earlier this week ARLA Propertymark sent a letter to housing minister Chris Pincher pleading for the ban not to be extended.

September 18, 2020

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