Lords warn court system could take five years to fully digitise under Renters’ Rights Bill

Members of the House of Lords warn that the court system could be left in limbo, with landlords facing long delays.

The Telegraph previously revealed that landlords are already struggling with eviction delays of more than eight months, and there are growing concerns that the Renters’ Rights Bill will only make the situation worse.

According to the Telegraph, the Labour government plans to digitise the County Court process in an effort to reduce pressure on the courts.

In the third debate of the Committee stage of the Renters’ Rights Bill, Lords raised concerns over the court digitisation process, arguing it could take up to five years before the system is fully functional.

Despite these concerns, Baroness Taylor of Stevenage argued that the Renters’ Rights Bill will better balance the rights of tenants and landlords.

Court digitisation could take more than five years

In the third debate of the Committee Stage, Lord Cromwell raised the point that he and other House of Lords members attended a meeting regarding court digitisation, which he claims was “hailed as a techno magic that will speed up the court process.”

However, he says many Lords members who attended were left doubtful over whether the process would work.

He said: “This was illuminating, but it left attendees, a good number of whom have very considerable experience of our legal system, very doubtful about this still-evolving IT system. The view from the people I spoke to was that it would take at least five years to bed in.”

Baroness Taylor of Stevenage says the government is working hard to make sure the courts are ready.

She told the debate: “His Majesty’s Courts & Tribunals Service is building an end-to-end digital service for resolving all possession claims in the county courts in England and Wales, to make processes more efficient and easier to understand for landlords and tenants, a much-needed reform.

“Funding has been agreed and provided to enable the design and build of this new service, which is well under way and builds on the existing digitisation of the justice system.”

Leaves landlords with no income

Baroness Scott says the Conservative Renters (Reform) Bill had safeguards to protect the court system, making sure that Section 21 would only be abolished when the courts were ready.

However, she says these safeguards under the Renters’ Rights Bill “are now gone,” and there is no phased rollout.

She warns that the courts need reform before the abolition of Section 21 takes place. Baroness Scott pointed out the courts’ long backlog, where “many landlords wait months, not weeks, just for a simple hearing.”

Lord Young of Cookham pointed out that many possession cases take over seven months, “which leaves landlords with no income.”

He added that tenants who genuinely need housing are left in a “state of limbo” and “will be unable to access the market, because the homes that they might move into are unavailable and tied up in legal delays.”

Ambition alone is not enough

Baroness Scott adds the Renters’ Rights Bill needs more than good intentions to work in reality.

She said: “The ambition of the Renters’ Rights Bill is commendable, but ambition alone is not enough.

“We must also confront the operational realities. This legislation will place significant demands on our already stretched courts and tribunals system. If we press ahead without ensuring that the system is properly resourced, modernised and fully functional, we risk undermining the very objectives that the Bill sets out to achieve.

“Tenants and landlords alike need a process they can trust: one that is timely, fair and accessible. Without that, this reform will falter at the first hurdle.”

Baroness Taylor of Stevenage claims the Renters’ Rights Bill will do a better job than the Conservatives’ Renters (Reform) Bill in balancing the rights of landlords and tenants.

She said: “It was too late, when the party opposite recognised the dreadful housing crisis that it had led us into, which meant it was too late for it to finish legislation to deal with it.

“This government will take up the challenge of dealing with the issues with a degree of balance between landlords and renters and, I believe, will do a better job of it.”

Watch a clip of Lord Cromwell below warning about the court digitsation process