Government urged to provide clarity on digitised court system for landlords

The government claims a digitised court system will help landlords, as warnings suggest the Renters’ Rights Act could overwhelm the courts.

In answer to a written question, Labour’s Baroness Levitt said a digital service will help landlords file possession claims.

However, many industry experts have warned the government has not given clarity on how the courts will be prepared for the digital possession process.

Digitised court process will help landlords respond to possession claims

Lord Carter of Haselmere asked the government: “What assessment they have made of the impact of digitising possession cases on the speed at which legitimate possession cases are processed by the courts when the Renters’ Rights Act 2025 begins to be implemented.”

In response, Baroness Levitt claimed possession wait times have reduced and a digitised court service will help manage the anticipated increase in possession cases.

She said: “The most recent published statistics show that claim to possession order median timeliness is currently 7.6 weeks, an improvement from the same period in 2024, and within the eight weeks set out in the Civil Procedure Rules.

“As the Renters’ Rights Act is implemented, HM Courts and Tribunals Service (HMCTS)  will put in place measures, including additional sitting days and administrative resources to ensure sufficient capacity is in place for the county court to handle the anticipated change to the possession caseload.

“The digital service will offer an online route for making and responding to possession claims, filing documents, and receiving updates and outcomes, offering an improved user experience through guided journeys. It will reduce the time taken to deal with printing, posting and administrative handling of paper forms.”

Government has not provided clarity on how courts will be prepared

As previously reported by Property118, the National Residential Landlords (NRLA) has warned the government has not provided clarity on how the courts will be prepared for the digital possession process.

Ben Beadle, chief executive of the NRLA, said: “At Report Stage of the Renters’ Rights Act, the Housing Minister told the Commons that: “Court readiness is essential to the successful operation of the new system”. We agree with the Minister.

“However, the government has yet to define what it means by the courts being “ready”. Without that clarity, it is unclear what the planned digitisation of possession cases is intended to deliver or how success will be measured.

“More broadly, whilst the Master of the Rolls has indicated that the “first iteration” of the new digital platform to process possession cases is expected to be released in late Spring 2026, it remains unclear what this will look and feel like in practice for tenants and landlords, or the extent to which it will speed up the processing of legitimate possession claims.”