The NRLA is calling on the Justice Select Committee to ask “difficult questions” about how the courts will cope with the impact of the Renters’ Rights Act (RRA), warning the industry is still “in the dark” about what preparations are actually in place.

CEO Ben Beadle (pictured) said that with just three months until Section 21 evictions end, the county courts face an “expected avalanche of cases” once all possession claims are forced through the grounds-based process. He warns there is “a lack of a meaningful way of assessing whether they are coping at all”.

What exactly does ‘ready’ mean? And how will it be measured?”

Beadle has written to Justice Select Committee chair Andy Slaughter requesting updates on how the system will function once the reforms take effect. He says MPs should press for clarity, asking, “What exactly does ‘ready’ mean? And how will it be measured?”

He also wants an update on the new digital platform for possession claims, a system promised this spring, and whether it will speed up “legitimate possession claims”.

Pressure on courts

Pressure on the courts is already visible in official waiting-time data. Government statistics show it now takes an average of more than eight months between a private landlord making a claim to possess a property under the Section 8 process and a property being repossessed — the highest level since the start of 2022.

Beadle stresses it is not just the property sector raising the alarm. At the Housing Law Practitioners’ Association Conference, the Master of the Rolls warned ending Section 21 “will undoubtedly create more contested possession cases than we have had hitherto”, adding, “We remain seriously concerned about how ready the county courts are for such an increase in cases for both tenants and landlords.”