39% of landlords want the government to introduce a fast track housing tribunal if the Section 21 ‘no-fault’ eviction process is abolished as planned.
That’s according to Paragon’s PRS Trends Report for Q2 2019 which surveys the views and experience of over 200 landlords.
The Section 21 ‘no-fault’ eviction process was introduced in The Housing Act 1988 and has been a mainstay of the UK’s Private Rented Sector. It allows landlords to give tenants two months’ notice of their intention to take possession of a property at any time after the initial fixed term of the tenancy agreement has expired.
The government announced its intention to abolish Section 21 in April this year. In its place, it proposes that landlords should follow the Section 8 process which requires them to demonstrate that tenants are in breach of their rental agreement when serving notice.
Paragon’s survey comes ahead of a government consultation this summer, designed to gather views on how best to make the existing Section 8 process work more effectively.
Alongside a fast track tribunal, 24% of landlords in Paragon’s survey called for a shorter court process, 15% would like a guaranteed way to cover their costs and 7% argued for the ability to submit evidence online.
84% of landlords said they felt the maximum time from serving notice to taking possession should be no longer than eight weeks.
According to the MHCLG’s recent English Private Landlord Survey, the vast majority of tenancies end at the tenant’s request.
John Heron (pictured), director of mortgages at Paragon, said: “Some of the main concerns for landlords around a move to the Section 8 eviction process relate to the efficacy of the existing court process. What we see here is widespread support for a fast track housing tribunal that can deliver a fair and timely solution for both landlords and tenants.”
