Bailiffs have been told by the government not to enforce any court
possession orders in an area with high coronavirus restrictions in place.
While this means that evictions could still proceed through courts,
bailiffs will not now enforce evictions in Tier 2 and Tier 3 areas.
Industry experts say that landlords should now prepare for no practical
enforcement proceedings beginning until the middle of January.
Also, the six-month notice period will be in place until the end of March
2021, at least.
The only exception will be for dealing with serious cases such as domestic
abuse or antisocial behaviour.
The National Residential Landlords Association’s chief executive, Ben
Beadle, said: "Landlords with tenants affected by the pandemic have worked
to support them constructively. We continue to support and encourage such
action.”
‘Tenants have abused the protections’
He added that a minority of ‘tenants have abused the protections’ brought
by the evictions ban and this has caused ‘significant hardship’ for many
landlords.
Mr Beale says the Government must recognise that enforcement action should
continue for the most serious cases.
He added that the extension of the furlough scheme, plus financial support
to self-employed people, will deliver a lifeline to many tenants.
His statement followed news that the government has written to the High
Court Enforcement Officers Association to confirm that the enforcement of
possession orders, except for serious cases, will not take place during the
lockdown.
These repossessions will include those related to squatting and illegal
trespassing and for those tenants engaged in fraud, antisocial behaviour or
deception.
Not bringing forward an enforcement ban exemption
The government has also confirmed that it will not be bringing forward an
exemption from the enforcement ban for those cases relating to pre-Covid
rent arrears.
Arla Propertymark's policy and campaigns manager, Timothy Douglas, said:
"The government extending of the ban on evictions in England will come as a
blow to our members.
"It will cause distress on those landlords who are dealing with ongoing
rental arrears and add pressure on courts for managing the backlog of
cases."
Landlords being underinsured is a big problem
Meanwhile, it has been revealed that under insurance for landlords is a big
problem.
That's the view from web-based insurer RebuildCostAssessment who say there
is a shortfall in insurance cover for rented homes and business properties.
They have worked out that privately rented homes have been underinsured by
up to £315 billion.
A spokesman said: "Buildings are woefully under-protected across the
country in any event in the event of any kind of damage."
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