Call To Urgently Reform Courts For Landlords
One landlords' organisation is urging the government to bring forward plans for court reforms to help landlords repossess a property more easily.
The Residential Landlords' Association (RLA) says it now takes an average of 22.5 weeks for a private landlord to make a claim to repossess their property.
That's up from the 2019 average of 21.6 weeks.
The figures highlight, the RLA says, that courts are unable to cope with landlords looking to repossess a property for legitimate reasons.
'Matter of urgency that plans for court reform are brought forward'
The RLA's policy manager, John Stewart, said: "The proposal to scrap Section 21 repossessions could lead to a big increase in cases being brought to court and it's now a matter of urgency that plans for court reform are brought forward by the government.
"This requires a fully funded, dedicated and properly staffed housing court that will bring quick justice for tenants and landlords. Tinkering with the current system is not good enough."
Their research also highlights that most landlords are unhappy with the court's process for repossessing a property and will be happier supporting an alternative arrangement.
The RLA has now written to Robert Buckland, the new Justice Secretary, pointing out that since the government has pledged to scrap Section 21 repossessions, courts are struggling to cope with the growing pressures they are facing.
UK rents show a moderate rise
Meanwhile, a report from HomeLet shows that rents in the private sector are rising in-line with wages and have seen moderate growth.
The UK's average rent is now £959 per month, that is up 2.3% on the same time last year.
With London rents excluded from the calculations, the average rent is £794, a rise of 2.2% year-on-year. The average rent in London is up 3.1% over the past year and is now £1,665 per month.
Increase in rents
The figures from the tenant referencing specialists reveal that all 12 of the regions being monitored have seen an increase in rents between July last year and this year.
The largest rise over the past year was seen by landlords in the South West, with rises of 4.5%.
The report highlights that rent growth is matching inflation which, according to the Consumer Prices Index (CPI), grew at 2.2% in June.
Rent increases have also been seen in an index published by Countrywide that show rents grew by 1.9% in July.
According to their figures, the average rent is now £982 per month with Scotland seeing the strongest rent rises at 5.2%.
