Will I now have to postpone S8 eviction?

Thanks, everyone for your response. They cancelled the hearing till further notice even though courts had witness statements etc.

Govt says 3 months mortgage break. How about monthly service charges, ground rent, insurance etc. Tenants think we don't have to pay our mortgage for 3 months, therefore probably going to take advantage of covid-19 situation.
This rental business is becoming a JOKE!

Thanks for letting us know about cancelled hearing. So obviously my hearing on 25th of March will also be postponed and it looks like it will be months later with all this going on. Lucky for tenants who do not pay any rent. If it went for 18 months as had been mentioned this would mean we would have to bear the costs for at least 18 months. How ridiculous. I can see many tenants using this as an opportunity not to pay rent.

Glad I am getting out of this business of continuously being robbed.

All the reports say the government is effectively preventing NEW applications for eviction of tenants affected financially BY Coronavirus. For me affected means that they have the disease, are isolated/hospitalised and unable to work/be paid. Or they have been sent home from work without pay. If they are still receiving pay/benefits they are not financially affected, and if they have the symptoms then they would have to defer the court date.

Reply to the comment left by Penny DJ at 20/03/2020 - 22:08The Govt. don’t care how you understand it, they ain’t allowing any evictions for *at least* 3 months regardless. The only question is whether those in the pipeline continue and how far ‘in the pipeline’ that extends to.

Reply to the comment left by Penny DJ at 20/03/2020 - 22:08
Guidance from Government (sent to County Courts today):

“Due to the Covid-19 emergency, *all* Bailiff activity, including all evictions, has been postponed until further notice."

Therefore, this is no longer about just new evictions only, it is affecting all evictions regardless of the reasons, type of occupancy, agreement or landlord (private, social, for-profit, not-for-profit, supported, or general needs unsupported, HMO, or self-contained).

I have a tenant who left in August and has left virtually rubbish in the flat as her belongings. UC stopped paying her rent in August and they informed me that the tenant had moved out and has given a different address. I spoke to the tenant several times after that and she informed me that she still had her things there and I had to evict her using a section 21 notice so that the council could provide her with accommodation.

I informed her that she would only be evicted with a section 8 where she would get a money judgment along with the possession order which would effectively be a CCJ. She still refused to confirm that she has left and said that she had her things at the property.
I attended court about a week ago and was given possession along with a judgment for rent arrears which was over £13,000. I am still waiting for the court order to arrive after which I was going to apply for the bailiffs. Now having to wait over 3 months, I am tempted to just take possession of the property as I am aware that she has not been to the property for at least five weeks as the lock of front door of the building which leads to the communal area has had the locks changed and she has not contacted me for access to her flat in the building.
I am tempted to just change the locks of the flat and take possession without involving the bailiff as it would mean waiting months and losing further rent due to the minimum 3 month delay. If she claims for her things/rubbish which I definitely would not store in my house or anywhere else as it is literally rubbish, the £13,000+ debt would cover it all if she late came back claiming for it. Any advice as what could happen if I took possession of the property as I have never done this before.

An aquaintance is a bailiff.
He has been told they will not be working after next week.