Skip to main content
CLOSE

Charities

Close

Corporate and Commercial

Close

Employment and Immigration

Close

Fraud and Investigations

Close

Individuals

Close

Litigation

Close

Planning, Infrastructure and Regeneration

Close

Public Law

Close

Real Estate

Close

Restructuring and Insolvency

Close

Energy

Close

Entrepreneurs

Close

Private Wealth

Close

Real Estate

Close

Tech and Innovation

Close

Transport and Infrastructure

Close
Home / News and Insights / Insights / What are the new notice periods to evict and how have possession proceedings changed?

New notice periods

On 28 August 2020 the government introduced new measures to extend the notice periods that landlords are required to give their tenants before commencing possession proceedings. The new rules apply to any notices served after 29 August 2020 meaning that any notice served between 25 March and 28 August 2020 will still be subject to the notice periods in place at the date of service (in most cases this is three months).

These new notice periods will be in place in England for all notices given up to and including 31 March 2021.

Section 21 notices: Notices given under section 21 of the Housing Act 1988 were changed from a notice period of two months to three months for notices given after 25 March 2020 (pursuant to Schedule 29 of the Coronavirus Act). Now the notice period for notices served after 29 August 2020 is six months. Further, the new rules state that proceedings can be issued up to ten months after they have been served whereas previously this was six months.

Section 8 notices: The position here is more complicated and the notice period varies depending on which ground you are claiming possession under. The most common grounds to claim are for rent arrears and the notice period under grounds 8, 10 and 11 is dependent on the time over which the arrears have accrued:

  • where the tenant is in arrears of six months’ rent or more, the notice period is four weeks; and
  • where the tenant is in arrears of less than six months’ rent, the notice period is six months.

Many landlords may now be minded to wait for six months’ arrears to accrue to take advantage of the shorter notice period. Similarly, a well advised tenant will ensure that any arrears are always kept to less than six months.

It is noted that the notice period for rent arrears has in some cases become harsher than pre-pandemic timings in an effort to assist landlords with persistent non-payers.

Other grounds under which the period has changed are grounds 7A and 14 respectively dealing with tenants being convicted of serious offences or anti-social behaviour, or causing nuisance or annoyance. Previously the Coronavirus Act 2020 had imposed a three month notice period for notices relying on these grounds but now the new rules suspended this effect.

Unlike some other grounds there are no new notice periods for grounds 7A and 14 and so the notice periods revert to their pre-COVID-19 lengths.

For ground 7A, the notice period is one month.

For ground 14, no notice period is applied and proceedings can be issued from the date of service of the notice.

For the full list of grounds and their notice periods, do refer to Section 3 (6) (d) of the Coronavirus Act 2020 (Residential Tenancies: Protection from Eviction) (Amendment) (England) Regulations 2020.

Since this article was written timings have changed in certain circumstances and these are a summary of the notice periods:

  • To serve a section 21 notice, from 1 June 2021 until 30 September 2021 the notice required is 4 months (to be issued within 8 months of service).
  • To serve a section 8 notice for rent arrears under grounds 8, 10 and 11 where less than six months arrears  from 1 June 2021 to 31 July 2021 the notice required is 4 months. From 1 August 2021 to 30 September 2021 the notice required is 2 months.
  • To serve a section 8 notice for rent arrears under grounds 8, 10 and 11 where more than four or six months arrears exist from 1 June 2021 until 30 September 2021 there has to be more than 4 months arrears (do note the change from 6 months arrears) and the notice required is 4 weeks.
  • To serve a section 8 notice for anti-social behaviour from 29 August 2020 until 30 September 2021 do note the following;
    • Under ground 7A- periodic tenancy- no earlier than a notice to quit could expire
    • Under ground 7A-fixed term assured tenancy-1 month’s notice
    • Under grounds 14A and 14ZA- 2 weeks
    • Under ground 14- immediately after service of notice
  • To serve a section 8 notice on ‘other’ grounds from 1 June 2021 until 30 September 2021 do note the following;
    • Grounds 1-6, 9, 12, 13, 15 or 16- 4 months.
    • Grounds 7- 2 months
    • Ground 7B- 2 weeks
    • Ground 17- 2 weeks

How have possession proceedings changed?

All possession proceedings were originally stayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic under CPR 51Z. This was effective from 27 March 2020 for 90 days. CPR 55.29 was then introduced and all proceedings and enforcements by writ or warrant under CPR 55 were stayed until 23 August 2020. This was then extended and all proceedings were stayed until 20 September 2020.

The new Practice Direction, PD 55C, came into force on 23 August 2020 and ceases to have effect on 28 March 2021 (since this article was written PD 55AC will now apply until July 31 2021). This and the overall arrangements document (overall arrangements) written by the Working Group on Possession Proceedings sets out how possession claims are dealt with post 20 September 2020 and is set to dramatically change the landscape in possession proceedings.

As regards how to run a possession case going forward, different rules will apply depending on what type of claim you have.

A ‘stayed claim’ means a claim which was brought on or before 19 September 2020 (including an appeal from a decision in such a claim). A ‘new claim’ means a claim brought after 19 September 2020.

For stayed claims:

  • any claim that is stayed will not be listed, relisted or heard unless and until a party files a ‘reactivation notice’. Do note the requirement for a reactivation notice does not apply to stayed claims brought on or after 3 August 2020 or stayed claims in which a final possession order has been made;
  • in all cases except for appeals the reactivation notice must set out what, if any, knowledge the party serving the notice has to the effect of COVID-19 on the defendant to the claim and any of their dependants;
  • if there are rent arrears, an updated rent account covering the previous two years must be provided;
  • if directions have been made prior to 20 September 2020, the following must be sent with the reactivation notice:
    • a copy of the last directions;
    • a draft order for new directions with new hearing date or confirmation that the current hearing date can be met; and
    • a statement confirming whether or not the case is suitable for a remote hearing.
  • there is no fee for filing a reactivation notice; and
  • if a reactivation notice is not served by 29 January 2021, the claim will automatically be stayed. Do note this is not a sanction (since this article was written this date was amended to 30 April 2021).

For ‘new’ claims and stayed claims brought on or after 3 August 2020:

  • PD 55C states that the claimant using the accelerated procedure must file with the claim form, and claimants in all cases must serve before and produce at the hearing, a notice setting out the knowledge that they have as to the effect of COVID-19 on the defendant and their dependants. Further guidance produced since PD55C states that details of any affect COVID-19 has had on the other party must be sent to the court in all cases as soon as possible: and
  • social landlords will need to confirm that they have complied with the pre-action protocol for possession claims by Social Landlords.

The requirement for the court to fix a hearing date within eight weeks of issue has been removed for any type of claim.

There is an obvious increase in activity at the courts now the stay has expired and whilst there are rules in the overall arrangements as to how long a case will take to get to a final hearing, there are many hurdles and new processes to be tried out.

The key aims of the overall arrangements are to reduce volume in the system by enabling earlier advice and facilitating settlement. They also aim to take into account the effect of COVID-19 on all parties. There is, in order to facilitate this further, the introduction of a scheme of prioritisation for listing to be used by the judiciary; (anti-social behaviour and extreme rent arrears cases first), further guidance for possession claims from the Court Service, the Ministry of Housing and the Financial Conduct Authority. We are told there will be greater provision of legal aid duty scheme legal advice and the introduction of an independent mediation / facilitated negotiation for possession claims.

The key points in the overall arrangements:

  • confirms what is set out in PD55C – that claims brought before 3 August 2020 will not be listed, relisted or referred to a judge until a party files and serves a ‘reactivation notice’ confirming that they wish the case to proceed;
  • parties will be offered a physical hearing. This is subject to whether contingency arrangements need to be implemented, dealing with accelerated possession claims and if the parties (and the court) agree that a hearing should be by telephone or video;
  • criteria for prioritising cases and the means to ‘mark’ a file as being one in which the defendant or the claimant faces particular hardship as a result of COVID-19. This will assist judges in deciding how to list cases. (Covid marking). You can request for a case to be ‘COVID-19 case marked’ at any time and in any form, but must include details such as the relevant hardship due to COVID-19;
  • no specific distinction made between residential and commercial cases;
  • unless there are existing case management directions that provide otherwise’ in all cases (stayed and new, but subject to a Re-activation notice in stayed cases) there will be a review date – this is not a hearing but a bundle must be provide by the claimant 14 days prior;
  • there will then be a substantive hearing (15 minutes) within 28 days of the review date;
  • accelerated possession claims will not have a review date but will be referred to judges ‘at a manageable frequency’; and
  • pilot scheme to facilitate mediation will be operating.

For further information, please contact Simon Painter or Aoife Murphy.

Related Articles

Our Offices

London
One Bartholomew Close
London
EC1A 7BL

Cambridge
50/60 Station Road
Cambridge
CB1 2JH

Reading
The Anchorage, 34 Bridge Street
Reading RG1 2LU

Southampton
Grosvenor House, Grosvenor Square
Southampton SO15 2BE

 

Reading
The Anchorage, 34 Bridge Street
Reading RG1 2LU

Southampton
Grosvenor House, Grosvenor Square
Southampton SO15 2BE

  • Lexcel
  • CYBER ESSENTIALS PLUS

© BDB Pitmans 2024. One Bartholomew Close, London EC1A 7BL - T +44 (0)345 222 9222

Our Services

Charities chevron
Corporate and Commercial chevron
Employment and Immigration chevron
Fraud and Investigations chevron
Individuals chevron
Litigation chevron
Planning, Infrastructure and Regeneration chevron
Public Law chevron
Real Estate chevron
Restructuring and Insolvency chevron

Sectors and Groups

Private Wealth chevron
Real Estate chevron
Transport and Infrastructure chevron