It was announced on Friday 21st August 2020 that there is to be more changes to the Possession Hearings and Notice Terms that you can serve. This is not good new for landlords.
The court hearings and possession proceedings have been extended now to 20th September 2020 but it has been highlighted to confirm that once the courts do re-open that we must expect a delay in quite a few cases due to the more urgent cases taking precedence such as criminal behaviour, anti social behaviour and significant rent arrears which are causing a financial impact on the landlord.
Of course this does not mean there will not be yet another extension to the date for hearings.
Notice Periods Section 8 & 21
The government announced its intention to extend the notice period in England to 6 months and will bring forward legislation in due course, once the urgencies of responding to the pandemic have passed.
When courts do re-open the government has stated that unless a meaningful attempt has been made to reach an agreement, possession orders may not be granted this could even result in landlords being charged and tenants being compensated.