‘According to this Inside Housing report of a Housing, Communities and Local Government Select Committee meeting today (4 May), the Housing Minister Robert Jenrick announced prospective measures to avoid a deluge of eviction proceedings at the expiry of the PD51Z stay.’
Nearly Legal, 4th May 2020
Source: nearlylegal.co.uk
‘In these rapidly changing and arguably unsettling times, the government has moved to create legislation to deal with the Covid-19 pandemic.’
Law Society's Gazette, 29th April 2020
Source: www.lawgazette.co.uk
‘The Court of Appeal is to rule on Thursday on the power of the Master of the Rolls (MR) to make an emergency practice direction in response to Covid-19.’
Litigation Futures, 29th April 2020
Source: www.litigationfutures.com
‘A first instance county court judgment on a possession claim, but with a range of interesting issues. The Ratcliffes were the landlords, Ms Patterson was the tenant and Mr Porter a guarantor, who played no part in proceedings. The tenancy was an assured shorthold tenancy with the most recent fixed term beginning in June 2018. Rent arrears accrued (on which more later) and the Ratcliffes brought a claim for possession under grounds 8, 10 and 11 Schedule 2 Housing Act 1988.’
Nearly Legal, 26th April 2020
Source: nearlylegal.co.uk
‘Covid-19 has had quite an effect on property lawyers in their professional lives. The stay on Part 55 claims imposed by PD 51Z on 27 March 2020 has stayed part of many practitioners’ day to day work. It has also led, however, to numerous questions. Can possession claims still be issued? Can directions still be followed or sought for possession claims already past the first possession hearing and heading towards trial? What are we supposed to do about trespass cases? Trespassers are not people the Government seemed to be keen to protect when it announced its intention to protect certain categories of occupiers from eviction, yet possession claims against trespassers have been caught in the general stay.’
Falcon Chambers, April 2020
Source: www.falcon-chambers.com
‘The spread of the coronavirus has caused disruption to our lives and the operation of society in ways that the vast majority of us have never experienced in our lifetime. The drastic measures adopted by the Government in response to the rapid spread of the disease, including putting the country into “lockdown”, required numerous amendments to be made to existing laws; this included those concerning residential and business tenancies and, more specifically, the rules relating to the eviction of tenants. The amendments increase the protections for tenants during the crisis.’
4 King's Bench Walk, 22nd April 2020
Source: www.4kbw.co.uk
‘Practice Direction 51Z, which came into force on 27 March 2020, has imposed a general 90-day stay on new and current Part 55 possession proceedings with (as of 20 April 2020) limited exceptions in a new paragraph 2A.’
St Philips Chambers, 22nd April 2020
Source: st-philips.com
‘Commercial property landlords in the UK have been temporarily banned from taking legal action against tenants who have not paid their rent, to protect retailers and other businesses from “aggressive rent collection” during the coronavirus crisis.’
The Guardian, 23rd April 2020
Source: www.theguardian.com
‘The back drop to this case is that the new Practice Direction CPR 51Z effectively stays possession proceedings and enforcement issued pursuant to CPR 55 for 90 days from March 2020.’
St Ives Chambers, 16th April 2020
Source: www.stiveschambers.co.uk
‘In a time when we are all being urged to stay in our homes it seems appropriate to consider the recent changes to Housing Law in light of the Coronavirus pandemic. This article will consider the Coronavirus Act 2020, Practice Direction 51Z and the Guidance document issued by the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (‘Guidance’).’
Pump Court Chambers, 7th April 2020
Source: www.pumpcourtchambers.com
‘Practice Direction 51Z was hastily brought into force on Friday 27 March 2020, after the Prime Minister’s televised instructions to the nation on the evening of Monday 23 March 2020 that everyone should stay at home in order to beat coronavirus. Practice Direction 51Z imposed a three-month stay on all Part 55 possession proceedings, which ensures that those who were facing the possibility of eviction from their home have some protection during the crisis. However, since the Practice Direction came into force, property practitioners have been grappling with the possibly unintended consequences that come from its very wide scope. This has been brought into sharp focus by the recent case of University College London Hospitals Foundation Trust v MB [2020] EWHC 882 (QB), in which PD51Z prevented an NHS Trust from obtaining a possession order to facilitate the discharge of a patient from hospital, in circumstances where her bed was needed for critically ill-patients, she was medically fit for discharge, and indeed she would be at less risk of infection from COVID-19 if out of the hospital. As this article explains, the NHS Trust in the UCLH case was able to obtain the relief it needed by the alternative route of an injunction, but the case nevertheless highlights that PD51Z may need to be revisited.’
Falcon Chambers, 15th April 2020
Source: www.falcon-chambers.com
‘The Coronavirus Act 2020 has put a hold on any existing residential possession proceedings for a period of 90 days and extended the notice period required as a precursor for any new residential possession to three months (section 81 of the Act and Practice Direction 51Z) and removed the right of re-entry or forfeiture for business tenancies for non-payment of rent until (at present) the 30th June 2020 (section 82).’
Becket Chambers, 3rd April 2020
Source: becket-chambers.co.uk
‘Serco is a private company that was contracted by the UK Home Office between 2012 and 2019 to provide accommodation to asylum seekers living in Glasgow. In July 2018, Serco began to implement the “move on protocol” – a new policy of changing locks and evicting asylum seekers without a court order if they were no longer eligible for asylum support. This put around 300 asylum seekers – who had no right to work or who had no right to homeless assistance – at risk of eviction and homelessness in Glasgow without any court process.’
UK Human Rights Blog, 8th April 2020
Source: ukhumanrightsblog.com
‘With the government ordering people to stay at home during the COVID-19 global pandemic, questions necessarily arise for those whose “home” is a rented property. What does this mean for landlords and tenants alike? Broadly, whilst the Government made loud promises about banning evictions, the Coronavirus Act 2020 makes more ‘watered down’ provision, giving greater comfort to landlords but potentially leaving tenants mired in uncertainty.’
Henderson Chambers, 27th March 2020
‘The Court of Appeal has dismissed an appeal over whether it was not reasonable for the appellant to stay in a property from which she was evicted for rent arrears given that there was evidence she had been subjected to domestic violence.’
Local Government Lawyer, 26th March 2020
Source: www.localgovernmentlawyer.co.uk
‘Now that the Coronavirus Act is in force (as of today 26 March 2020), the three month notice period applies to assure and assured shorthold tenancies (as well as secure, introductory, etc).’
Nearly Legal, 26th March 2020
Source: nearlylegal.co.uk
‘Commercial tenants who miss a payment in the next three months because of the coronavirus outbreak will be protected from eviction, the government has announced.’
Local Government Lawyer, 24th March 2020
Source: www.localgovernmentlawyer.co.uk
‘The “complete ban” on evictions promised by the government has been widely criticised after it emerged that the coronavirus bill merely extends the notice required for possession, from two months to three.’
The Guardian, 24th March 2020
Source: www.theguardian.com
‘I’ve seen the draft amendments to the Coronavirus Bill on housing possession. A word of caution, this was a draft from 22 March, not the actual amends due to be put forward today 23 March. I was waiting for those to be made public to check, but that has not happened as of 6 pm. There may have been some changes, but my understanding is it was going ahead as per the draft.’
Nearly Legal, 23rd March 2020
Source: nearlylegal.co.uk
‘No one should lose their home because of coronavirus, the National Housing Federation has said.’
Local Government Lawyer, 18th March 2020
Source: www.localgovernmentlawyer.co.uk
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