A service called Landlord Advice UK is offering free no-obligation consultations with landlords dealing with evictions over the coming months.

Under the Coronavirus Act 2020, Section 8 and Section 21 evictions notices were temporarily changed to protect tenants from eviction during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. The legislation made longer notice periods for evictions mandatory on a temporary basis.  

But those changes come to an end next month, with interim modifications to court rules taking effect to accommodate Coronavirus restrictions on social distancing and the like.

There is an estimated 5,700 possession claims ‘in limbo’ that were granted hearings just before the ban, and an estimated 60,000 new eviction notices that have been issued during the lockdown.

Landlord Advice UK claims many landlords are confused about how to go about serving eviction notices in line with current legislation and when the restrictions on eviction are due to change.

Sasha Charles, director of the firm, says: “Although some of the temporary restrictions regarding eviction are due to be lifted, landlords should continue to make all reasonable attempts to work with their tenants. 

“We are already starting to see that many landlords are confused about what they can and can’t do and how to move forward when the law changes. Our advice to landlords is that it’s important to keep logs of all communication to demonstrate that reasonable attempts have been made to resolve issues with tenants before taking legal action.

“This will be helpful for landlords should the matter progress to court and will help landlords prepare to follow the new court protocol which is yet to be enforced. The new protocol will require landlords to make further efforts to resolve issues with their tenants before taking legal action.”