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Citizens Advice claims 1,000 cases linked to eviction, despite ban

Citizens Advice claims that in the two months since the lockdown began it has helped over 10,000 people with issues related to the private rental sector - and 1,000 of those have apparently related to evictions, despite the government ban.

In its latest statement on renting, issued over the weekend, it repeats its call for additional protection for renters who it describes as “vulnerable to eviction because of Coronavirus.”

The extra measures it wants include: 

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- accelerating the ending of Section 21 evictions;

- unspecified temporary changes allowing the courts more discretion for tenants in arrears because of Coronavirus;

- and, when these measures are in place, the implementation of ‘pre-action protocol’ of steps that landlords must follow before they can bring possession proceedings.

The statement says the government has “just one month to act” before the end of the moratorium on evictions expires on June 25.

 

 

The organisation claims that the deadline creates a cliff edge “that will pitch some renters into long-term debt or homelessness.” 

Research by CA earlier this month suggested that 2.6m private renters had already missed, or expected to miss, a rent payment because of Coronavirus. 

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    Perhaps the advice sought related to 'if I don't pay rent now when will my landlord be able to evict me?'
    The advice given is not specified but they have used the wording to make it sound really bad landlords are taking no notice of legislation just now. I doubt this is the case as most landlord's are good people and understand the problem with Covid-19. However if the rent is not paid because the tenant just does not want to that is a different matter altogether.

  • PossessionFriendUK PossessionFriend

    yes, " relating to evictions " is a very loose description.
    If CA expect any of their data to be taken seriously, they need to produce far more robust data.

  • jeremy clarke

    Citizens advice, say no more, just bedfellows with the so called grant grabbing shelter shower.

  • PossessionFriendUK PossessionFriend

    Have a look at my ' Two schools of Thought ' on my facebook page.

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    • 26 May 2020 19:11 PM

    In your professional capacity what would be your considered conjecture on how Govt might adjust the current S8 process!?

    Your crystal ball being probably far vetter informed than min
    e!!

     
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    • 26 May 2020 18:59 PM

    The CAB just prove their ignorance and incompetence in their support for abolishing S21.

    They will be condemning those tenants who will still ultimately be evicted to a CCJ effective for 6 years.
    Do they not understand that the S8 process will automatically come with a CCJ attached!?
    How many LA and LL will take on a tenant with a CCJ for rent arrears which haven't been paid off!?
    Such a CCJ will prevent the rent defaulting tenant from obtaining a mobile phone contract let alone a mortgage!
    Plus of course the sticky issue in finding a mug LL prepared to take them on.
    RGI qualification will be impossible.

    Surely for the CAB the responsible action to take is to advise the tenant to pay their rent by whatever means so that they won't ever be affected by the S8 process when S21 has gone!?

    S8 will be a pain but there is no doubt that the mandatory eviction will occur if 2 months of rent arrears which is 1 month and 1 day.

    Not many tenants will game the system by paying down rent arrears to one month to prevent eviction.
    If they want to be 1 month in arrears it would generally be better to discuss with a LL that this will be the case.
    It will save the LL bothering with S8 and the tenant won't invariably be evicted.

    The LL will have a 5 week deposit which could eventually be used to pay the arrears when the tenant vacates.

    Not many LL would evict for 1 month of rental arrears.

    But the evil CAB should not be deceiving tenants into taking actions which would have enormous detrimental ramifications for them for years.
    Remember a LL could easily renew a CCJ every 6 years until satisfied.
    This would condemn the tenant to effectively be uncreditworthy for decades.
    I
    I know if I had S8 CCJ for rent arrears I would just renew every 6 years.
    Even if a CCJ for rent arrears is satisfied it still remains on credit records for 6 years.
    I'm sure many LA and LL will wish to know what a now satisfied CCJ was for!?

    As far as I am aware RGI wouldn't be possible even with a satisfied CCJ for rent arrears.


    I'm very surprised Govt hasn't fast tracked abolishment of the AST and S21 onto the Statute books.
    It would surely be an ideal time as Govt would know such S8 eviction cases would be dragged out in court for years.

    Of course that would be pretty much irrelevant if lenders repossessed properties if LL were unable to pay the mortgage in absence of rent.
    With capital values not going anywhere many LL would do better to sell as they would suffer from repossession.
    I'm sure many lenders will be receiving advice from their LL clients that payment of the mortgage is impossible due to a rent defaulting tenant and what does the lender wish them to do.
    Most lenders wishing to avoid the hassle of repossession will probably suspend repossession subject to the property being sold.
    It may mean a loss of considerable capital for the LL but with repossession that would happen anyway.

    All these circumstances just proves how naive many LL are.
    They simply don't understand the permanent financial damage a rent defaulting tenant can have on them.
    Many LL will be finding out very shortly much to their great cost.

    Their dream of BTL will have been destroyed by CV19 and and increasingly dysfunctional eviction process.

    Bet the GRQ Gurus never mention things like these!!!??

    Oh! Yes and the real biggy will be any tenant evicted by S8 for rent arrears will automatically be deemed to have made themselves 'intentionally homeless'.
    So NO council housing assistance.

    The days of tenants gaming the S21 process to obtain Council Housing will be gone.
    The CAB might find their workload increases substantially once S21 is abolished!!!!

  • PossessionFriendUK PossessionFriend

    The MHCLG have already said on a few occasions they intend to apply the Social Housing Pre-Action protocol to the PRS, that puts a lot of time delay and potential compulsion on a Landlord to accept a tenants reasonable offer to pay back o/s rent.
    Jenrick has gone further and talks of Beefing -up the protocol, God only knows what he's got in mind but I suspect he might make Covid-related arrears a Non-compulsory ground for Possession ( so court would suspend Possession for currently up to 12 months, but Jenrick could tweek it to be longer. )

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