Property sector leaders and bailiffs are urging landlords to avoid county court backlogs by using the High Court instead to evict tenants.

Landlords have the option to ‘transfer up’ their case to the High Court, and seek a possession order much quicker that way.

Postcode lottery

And that’s the advice from a coalition of housing groups led by bailiffs’ group the High Court Enforcement Officers Association (HCEOA), which is joined by the NRLA, Propertymark and eviction and housing law specialists Landlord Action.

The coalition claim there is a ‘postcode lottery’ across England and Wales in the time county courts take to deal with possession orders.

And there are serious fears that the court delays will get worse when Section 21 ‘no fault’ evictions are banned under the Renters’ Rights Bill.

Nightmare

Michael Jackson, Vice-Chair of the High Court Enforcement Officers Association (HCEOA), says: “It’s clear that this postcode lottery of delays in county court evictions is proving to be a real nightmare for landlords in some parts of the country.

“High Court enforcement isn’t a magic wand, and it won’t be the right choice for every landlord right now, but it can certainly help those facing the worst delays in evictions”.

Ben Beadle, CEO at the NRLA, says: “All this time landlords are losing money through lost rent which is no fault of their own.”

Timothy Douglas, Head of Policy and Campaigns at Propertymark, says: “We know that when using a High Court Enforcement Officer, the execution of a possession order is notably quicker.”

I know of cases where landlords are facing waiting times of 15 months just to get an eviction date.”

And Paul Shamplina, Founder of Landlord Action, says: “I know of cases where landlords are facing waiting times of 15 months just to get an eviction date.

“Ultimately, we need a change in the law to make this situation fairer, but it’s important landlords know their options right now.”

More on Section 21 evictions