Eviction courts crisis ‘not solved’ warn MPs and experts
MPs on the Justice Committee and the Law Society agree that digital reforms to the courts have failed and that landlords and agents still face long delays.
MPs and solicitors are warning that the county court system is still in crisis after digital reforms failed.
The House of Commons Justice Committee says the courts in England and Wales are ‘dysfunctional’, and wait times are too long.
And the Law Society has joined the criticism saying the Government hasn’t properly funded the courts.
Worrying
With the Renters Rights’ Bill due to become law in the next few months, and the scrapping of Section 21 ‘no fault’ evictions, this news will be worrying for many landlords and letting agents.
Recently, property sector leaders urged landlords to avoid county court backlogs by using the High Court instead to evict tenants.
A coalition of housing groups was joined by the NRLA, Propertymark and eviction and housing law specialists Landlord Action, in issuing the advice.
Fallen short
The Justice Committee says: “The decade-long digital Reform programme has fallen well short of its ambition, leaving a myriad of incompatible systems and outdated paper-based processes.
And “the current staffing crisis in HMCTS is untenable”, it warns.
It is beset by unacceptable delays, recruitment and retention issues across frontline staff.”
Andy Slaughter, Committee Chair, says: “The county court is a dysfunctional system, that has failed adequately to deliver civil justice across England and Wales.
“It is beset by unacceptable delays, recruitment and retention issues across frontline staff and the Judiciary, and a complex ‘patchwork’ of paper-based and digital systems.”
The Justice Committee is demanding an urgent review of the county courts launched by Spring 2026.
Not worked
Richard Atkinson, President of the Law Society, says: “Recent reforms have not worked. Over 50% of solicitors we surveyed do not believe that the new online portals are effective in delivering justice.
“If the government properly funded our courts and those who work in them, thousands of people would be freed from the legal limbo caused by long waits.”
Paul Shamplina (pictured), founder of Landlord Action, says: “Let’s rewind back to 2019 when there was talk, prior to Covid, of having dedicated housing courts as a remedy to these delays by fast-tracking landlord and tenants cases.
“The caseload faced by the County Courts is only going to increased once Section 21 ‘no fault’ evictions are banned once the Renters’ Rights Bill becomes law.
“As I’ve said all along, we need more judges, more bailiffs and faster rollout of digitisation – but not enough has been done on these fronts yet. The courts system needs to be fixed and in particular needs greater investment if, as the Justice Committee report points out, justice is to be delivered.”
Read the Justice Committee report here
