The government has failed to explain how they will ready the courts for the end of Section 21 evictions, prompting frustration from property groups.
The British Property Federation, the National Residential Landlords Association and The Lettings Industry Council, have written a letter the Minister in the Lords, Baroness Taylor of Stevenage, expressing their concerns.
On July 1st the House of Lords will again consider the effects of the Renters’ Rights Bill, which pledges to abolish no-fault evictions.
The issue is the courts are already struggling to cope with ‘at fault’ Section 8 evictions, with it commonly taking landlords over six months to turf out a non-paying tenant.
Last year the government pledged to ensure the courts are ‘ready’ for the impact of the reforms, but the government has failed to explain what this means in practice.
Ben Beadle, chief executive of the National Residential Landlords Association, Melanie Leech, chief executive of the British Property Federation and Theresa Wallace, chair of The Lettings Industry Council, said: “We remain extremely disappointed by the lack of substantive responses to the concerns we have consistently raised with ministers.
“We want the Bill to work in practice and enjoy the confidence of good landlords. However, unless clear answers to the issues we have raised are forthcoming from the government, those very landlords have every reason to be concerned.”
The organisations also warned that plans to make it easier for tenants to challenge above market rent increases at a tribunal are unworkable. This is because there is currently no reliable single source of data to determine what market rents are in any given area, making it impossible to assess whether a rent increase is above it or not.
The government also failed to explain how it will carry out plans to make it more difficult for landlords to repossess a property if benefit payments are delayed. Private landlords are not allowed to be notified when a tenant is claiming benefits, meaning there is no way for them to know until a possession case goes to court.
Finally there is a lack of clarity on when the reforms take place once the bill receives Royal Assent. The groups said it is “imperative” for there be a smooth transition to the new systems and processes.