MP urges court reform to protect landlords before S21 is abolished

MP urges court reform to protect landlords before S21 is abolished

10:33 AM, 9th November 2023, About A year ago 4

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Theresa Villiers MP has spoken in favour of the Renters (Reform) Bill and warned the government needs to address the court delays before abolishing Section 21 – ‘no-fault’ evictions.

Ms Villiers was speaking during the debate following the King’s Speech to Parliament and said that she supports the Bill.

However, she also stressed the importance of protecting the interests of responsible landlords because ‘landlords play a crucial role as housing providers’.

She highlighted the concerns of her constituent Paul Shamplina, the founder of Landlord Action, who has been campaigning for court reform in the housing sector.

Why Section 21 evictions cannot be banned

Mr Shamplina met Ms Villiers twice to explain that Section 21 evictions cannot be banned until landlords have confidence in the courts.

And the MP quoted his examples of court delays, which he said are worse than he has experienced in 33 years in the sector.

She said: “He has told me of three bailiff applications with Willesden court that have taken six months to be issued.

“In Swindon, it took three months to send a notice of issue for a basic N5B claim, and Central London county court took seven months to appoint a bailiff and grant transfer to the High Court for enforcement.

“Other constituents have told me about bailiff delays in removing tenants who have not paid rent for many months.”

‘Bring these issues to the government’s attention’

Mr Shamplina thanked Ms Villiers for raising the issue in Parliament and said: “I am grateful to Theresa Villiers for her efforts to bring these issues to the forefront of the government’s attention.

“We fully support her call for a swift resolution to court delays, ensuring that the Renters (Reform) Bill can achieve its intended goals while preserving the vitality of the rental sector.”

Ms Villiers also urged the Minister for the Courts, Under-Secretary of State for Justice Mike Freer, to expedite the efforts to resolve court delays and acknowledged the recruitment of 1,000 new judges and the ongoing digitisation process.

However, she also emphasised the need for continuous improvement to ensure that the courts operate as efficiently as possible.

This is Theresa Villiers MP speaking in Parliament about the court issues that need to be rectified before section 21 can be abolished.

Contact Landlord Action

Specialists in tenant eviction and debt collection. Regulated by The Law Society.


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Easy rider

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10:40 AM, 9th November 2023, About A year ago

Yet again, Section 21 is referred to as a “no fault” eviction. There are already 2 x mandatory grounds under Section 8 that are no fault and they plan to add another. That is Grounds 1 and 2 and I could add the rather bizarre Ground 5 (The property is that of a minister of religion - what’s that all about?).

I agree that the courts system needs to be fit for purpose. This should be supported by financial assistance from the government to cover lost rent caused by an inept courts process. The government should then chase the tenant for recompense.

Michael Booth

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12:34 PM, 10th November 2023, About 12 months ago

Good luck with landlords being paid their rent by the government and then the government chase the tenant, about has much chance has getting a kiss of the pope.

Michael Booth

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12:37 PM, 10th November 2023, About 12 months ago

I have been in the rental game 24 years and are selling up 4 left in the ts5 area middlebrough if anyone interested .

Easy rider

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11:37 AM, 11th November 2023, About 12 months ago

Reply to the comment left by Michael Booth at 10/11/2023 - 12:34
I agree that the idea of government covering a landlord’s losses is somewhat remote. That’s a privilege that’s only extended to banks.

However, if they are to have us believe that their courts system is fit for purpose (which clearly admits that it isn’t currently fit for purpose), they should back it up with tangible support for when their courts system fails us.

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