If you are a tenant or a landlord affected by the impact of the Coronavirus, the government has made a number of announcements which may assist.
On 18th March the government announced its outline plan confirming:
- A ban on new eviction cases from social and private landlords;
- An extension of the rental arrears possession pre-action protocol to apply to private landlords
- That buy to let mortgages will also benefit from the 3 months mortgage holiday provisions.
Further clarity was provided on 24th March. Schedule 29 of the Coronavirus Bill extends the notice periods for notices under all relevant housing statutes including the Housing Act 1988, which covers most private tenants, to 3 months. This will apply to both section 8 and section 21 notices.
The bill also contains provision to increase this period for future notices to longer periods if the government feels necessary.
The change will initially be in force from the day the bill passed into law until 30th September 2020 however this period could also be extended.
The bill made no reference to notices already served or possession proceedings already issued, but this was clarified three days later, by the introduction of Practice Direction 51Z which has paused all possession proceedings and warrants of eviction with immediate effect for 90 days.
At Watson Ramsbottom we are here to support all our clients through this crisis.
Contact our Dispute Resolution Director Jonathan Leach on 01254 301044 to arrange a meeting to discuss your rights, or complete our online contact form and one of our experts will be in touch.