Evictions take longer as courts clog up

Evicting tenants who fall behind with their rent is taking longer.

Eviction service Landlord Action says it is now taking three months just to get a hearing date because the county courts are so busy as the housing market crisis hits home.

Director Paul Shamplina said: “Of course, this delay means more lost rent. Judges and bailiffs are inundated. Not only are there landlord and tenant eviction cases to deal with, but repossessions are at a 15-year high, thereby increasing their workloads.

“The landlord has no choice but to sit in the queue and wait.”

Shamplina said there has been a ‘significant’ rise in landlords wanting to get rid of bad tenants, and that landlords are not only suffering financial hardship but stress.

He said: “I have just completed filming for BBC Breakfast News in which I was accompanied by a film crew when serving notice on a tenant who owed nearly £9,000 in rent on her property.

“The landlord was a widowed mother of three who had bought the property to give herself an income when her husband died. She is now suffering from depression and is on anti-depressants and painkillers. She told me her whole body was aching due to the stress.

“In city centres, including Manchester, Liverpool, Birmingham and London, we have seen a 20% rise in the last year in the number of landlords contacting us to help them evict their tenants due to non-payment of rent.

“There are an increasing number of tenants losing their jobs, and paying the rent is not always at the top of their priorities. Being just one month late with the rent can lead to the landlord experiencing mortgage arrears and so they are doing everything in their power to rectify the situation as soon as possible. Our advice line has been overwhelmed with calls for assistance.”