The Communities Secretary Robert Jenrick has extended the ban on evictions across England and Wales.

The tenant evictions ban was due to be lifted on Monday 11th January however the further extension now means that bailiffs will be unable to carry out any evictions except for the most serious of cases, until 21st February.

Tenants in practical terms will not be evicted until 8th March and it is highly likely that the ban will be further extended with Jenrick stating the government was “helping to protect the most vulnerable renters”.

Landlords will still have to give a six month notice to renters to regain possession of their properties until March 31st, except in serious court cases involving domestic abuse, anti social behaviour and criminal activity.

Unsurprisingly because of the introduction of the ban last year the number of eviction applications to courts from both private and social landlords plummeted by 86% between July and September 2020 compared to the same period in 2019.

An industry trade body’s policy advisor welcomed the Secretary’s mediation scheme as a positive step towards reducing the backlog of court cases of evictions and rental arrears.

He said: “The new mediation pilot will  help it is important to take steps back towards normality so that both landlords and tenants have access to the justice system, while putting measures in place to offer further support to tenants who have built up Covid-related arrears through no fault of their own”.

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