Further extension on ban on evictions

A recent announcement from the Government has confirmed that the ban on residential property bailiff evictions due to end at the end of this month, will be extended to 31 May 2021. This is the fourth extension that has now been made in England and Wales.

This news has been welcomed by many, but tenants should be aware that they could still face eviction if their rent arrears are building up. See our previous article here for information on exceptions to the ban, and what the extension actually means.

There has also been an extension on the requirement for landlords to give their tenants 6 months’ notice to vacate the property, as opposed to the standard 2 month notice requirement pre-coronavirus pandemic. This rule is also in place until 31 May and is also subject to exceptions.

Separately, the new changes introduced in September last year regarding the court eviction process, are to be in place until the end of July instead of March.

Those changes include landlords having to provide a statement setting out what knowledge they have about the effect of the coronavirus pandemic on their tenants and their dependents.

Another change which is applicable to the ‘standard possession procedure’, is the additional stage to the court proceedings, known as the ‘Review Date’. The parties are not required to attend court on the Review Date but the Judge will review the papers to check the claim can proceed, and see if the parties are amenable to reaching a resolution before the claim would proceed to a substantive hearing.

At all stages the Government encourage landlords and tenants to enter into a dialogue with each other regarding their circumstances and to discuss proposals to avoid the need for court proceedings.

If you have any questions or require any legal advice relating to the above, we act for both landlords and tenants in residential property matters and offer a free initial consultation. To find out more and to hear about our fixed fee pricing structures for advice on the service of notices, and issuing court proceedings for possession, please contact Laura Bright, Richard Moore or John Sim.