Repossession cases to resume from 24th August

The courts will hear repossession cases again from the 24th August, a government minister has confirmed.

From then “the courts will begin to process possession cases again”, said Lord Greenhalgh, a minister at the Ministry for Housing, Communities and Local Government.

Evictions will have been banned for five months by this time.

David Cox, chief executive of ARLA Propertymark, said: “We’re very pleased to hear that from 24 August courts will be re-opening and can begin to process the backlog of possession cases.

“We have previously expressed our concern to the Secretary of State for Justice that there could be as many as 62,000 ‘business as usual’ landlord possession claims to be processed across England and Wales so having clarity on when these can be handled is extremely encouraging for landlords and the sector.”

Ben Beadle, chief executive of the National Residential Landlords Association, said: “The minister’s comments provide greater certainty for the rental market.

“We continue to work hard with landlords and tenants to sustain tenancies wherever possible. In the vast majority of cases this is happening.

“It is vital however that swift action can be taken against those tenants committing anti-social behaviour or domestic violence.

“We are calling also for priority to be given to cases where possession orders were granted prior to lockdown or where rent arrears have nothing to do with the COVID pandemic.”