In a letter to the High Court Enforcement Officers Association the Justice Secretary, Robert Buckland, has confirmed that during the lockdown there will be no enforcement of Possession Orders except for the most serious cases.
These will include those related to illegal trespassing and squatting and tenants engaged in anti-social behaviour, fraud or deception. The Government has also confirmed that it will bring forward an exemption from the enforcement ban for cases related to extreme pre-COVID rent arrears.
Ben Beadle, Chief Executive of the National Residential Landlords Association, said: “The vast majority of landlords who have had tenants affected due to the pandemic have been working constructively to support them. We continue to encourage and support such action.
“However, in a minority of cases, renters have abused the protections afforded by the recent ban on repossessions, causing significant hardship. It is therefore important that the Government recognises that in the most serious cases enforcement action must continue.”
The announcement follows the extension of the furlough scheme and increased support for the self-employed. According to research for the Resolution Foundation as of September 9 per cent of private renters in the UK were reliant on the furlough scheme.
Ben Beadle concluded: “The extension of the furlough scheme and support for those who are self-employed will be a lifeline to many renters reliant on it. However, this still does not address the considerable rent arrears that tenants and landlords continue to face due to the pandemic through no fault of their own.
“Ministers need urgently to develop a bespoke financial package for renters to pay off such arrears. This should include a mix of interest-free government-guaranteed hardship loans and increased benefit support for those who rely on it.”
