Ministry of Justice under pressure to speed up court wait times
National Residential Landlords Association wants Government to set out clear plans for Court reform before the second reading of the Renters (Reform) Bill.
The National Residential Landlords Association (NRLA) has blasted the Ministry Justice for allowing delays in possession cases to build up and called for reform of the Court service.
In an open letter, the NRLA urges Justice Ministers to take action to speed up the time taken to process cases and tackle the delays of sometimes six months or more before landlords can take back possession of their rental property.
TENANCY REFORMS
The letter cites a recent report by the Levelling Up, Housing and Communities (LUHC) Select Committee which warns: “It is not clear whether the Government fully appreciates the extent to which an unreformed courts system could undermine its tenancy reforms.”
Ahead of the Second Reading of the Renters (Reform) Bill, the NRLA wants assurances that Ministers will announce measures to reduce court wait times.
These include the digitalisation of the court process, plans to increase the number of court staff dealing with possession cases, target processing times and publishing the Ministry’s assessment of the impact the Bill will have on the courts system.
Ben Beadle (maim picture), NRLA Chief Executive, says: “The court service is failing its users and has done for some time.
“Court wait times are a major issue for landlords – particularly those who need to repossess property from anti-social tenants or those individuals who are in extreme rent arrears.”
BRING CONFIDENCE
“Before the second reading of the Renters (Reform) Bill, the Government must set out clearly what court reform means and bring confidence to the sector.”
And he adds: “Section 21 was introduced to give property owners the confidence to bring their property to the market in the knowledge that they could deal swiftly with problem tenants.
“With its abolition planned, landlords must have the same confidence that having given their tenant a legitimate reason, their repossession claim will be processed without delay.”
The Neg revealed on Monday how court logjams are reaching crisis point as landlords and letting agents become more desperate to achieve evictions.
