Protection for residential tenants extended to 31 May 2021

The government has announced a further extension to the following measures put in place to protect residential tenants:

The ban on bailiff enforced evictions – writs and warrants of possession will not be executed unless in serious specified circumstances, such as possession against trespassers or where the order for possession relates to anti-social behaviour including domestic violence
The requirement for landlords to provide 6 months’ notice to terminate residential tenancies.

Both of these protective measures have now been extended to at least 31 May 2021 and may be extended again in due course.

These measures have been put in place to ensure that residential tenants can stay in their homes and have enough time to find alternative accommodation if the landlord wishes to bring the tenancy to an end. The government commented that they want to ensure that renters are supported as we move through the roadmap out of lockdown.

Landlords should, however, be aware that there are still options available to them if their tenants are in significant rent arrears. If there are outstanding arrears of over 6 months then a landlord may be able to recover possession of their property more quickly without having to provide their tenant with 6 months’ notice, albeit certain procedural steps will still need to be complied with.

If you would like further advice, please contact Meera Patel or Rhiannon Saunders

The information in this article was prepared on 10 March 2021. The law and practice is currently changing frequently, so please check the up to date position before acting on anything you read here.