LandlordZone report court preparing to start possession cases on 29th June

LandlordZone  reported that a busy civil and family court has told a regular user it is preparing to start listing possession hearings from Monday 29^th June and this could indicate the start date for other courts around the UK.

Does this mean that the government is not looking to extend the three month eviction ban beyond the end of June? Unfortunately as the pandemic is so unpredictable only time will tell to be sure.

However, solicitors have been told that the first hearings post lockdown are likely to be held virtually until it is safe to conduct them in person.

Tim Frome, Legal Director of Landlord Action, said:

“There will be more work required for each hearing including communicating before the hearing and the logistics of getting everyone on the telephone or video call with a narrow window of time based on the volume of hearings needed to take place. We see this as a challenge, but one we are ready for having worked fully remotely for the last nine weeks.”

With a backlog of hearings on hold for three months on top of new cases possession cases the challenges to the court system will likely mean backlogs will take some time to clear and have to take into account the needs of vulnerable tenants.