The Residential Landlords Association (RLA) has this week warned that UK courts are already struggling to manage the volume of landlord possession claims ahead of the abolition of section 21 notices.
The waiting time for claims in London courts (from claim to possession) was 30 weeks in 2019, up from 23 weeks the year before. Courts in the North East had the second highest waiting time with an average of 23.5 weeks.
In light of the information, the RLA is calling on the government to establish a dedicated housing court for these types of claims. Speaking on the matter, John Stewart, a Policy Manager for the RLA said:
“If landlords feel that they might have to wait forever to regain possession of their property where they have good reason, such as tenants committing anti-social behaviour or failing to pay their rent, increasing numbers are going to feel it is not worth the risk of letting the property out in the first place.
“This will just add to the already growing shortage of investment in rented housing which is badly needed to meet a rising demand…”
You can read more on this story over at Property Industry Eye here.