Section 21 reform delayed

Over the weekend news has emerged that the government are now considering delaying the introduction of Section 21 eviction legislation in the short term. The introduction of Section 21 was probably the most important aspect of the proposed Renters Reform Bill. Now the government has announced that the improvements will only be introduced once improvements are made to the ability of the courts to progress legitimate possession cases.

Obviously at this point it is impossible to predict how long these improvements will take however it appears that the improvements the government is expecting are substantial and will almost certainly not be in place before the introduction of the Renters Reform Bill

The government wants to digitise the processes, prioritising certain cases as well as strengthening mediation and dispute resolution potential utilising the new Ombudsman to try and limit the number of cases that actually get to court. The industry hopes for a specific housing court have been dismissed by the government.

The release of the response the weekend before the Second Reading certainly appears “political” in its timing and may well have been done to appease those dissenters within the government who appear against the bill.