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Attorney Dutton Gregory said a large number of Section 21 notices are currently being filed.
The company said while it has seen a surge since the announcement of its plan to repeal Section 21 of the Lessor Reform Bill, corporate landlords will start to dominate the sector if the trend continues.
As a result of the repeal, the government said the Article 8 basis would be strengthened, allowing landlords to reclaim their property. However, this has not brought peace of mind to many property owners.
Gina Peters, Landlord and Head of Tenants, Dutton Gregory Solicitors, said: “We feel our workload has gone unnoticed and many private landlords are suddenly filing Section 21 notices as a safety measure.”
“The current socio-economic situation is exacerbating inflation, mortgages and interest rates, which has spilled over into housing inventory and forced rents to rise.
“This puts many landlords in a difficult position who want to keep their property and make a profit, but are concerned that if a tenant defaults, they may not receive rent for months.
“A lot of people are now planning to sell their property and exit the rental market and want to give notice while they still can.
“While the proposed Article 8 basis gives landlords the ability to reclaim property on paper, a claim for possession in court requires a court hearing and is not possible solely through the filing of paperwork.
“Rent arrears notice periods will be extended from two weeks to four weeks, and landlords may not be paid rent for an even longer period. Civil procedure rules now require all title claims to be listed for trial within eight weeks, but this was suspended during the pandemic and has not been restored in some courts.
“With the current court infrastructure, registering in all courts is so important that this system cannot cope with the increasing influx of possession hearings.
Peters went on to say the private rental market could become “very corporate”, with smaller landlords forced out and replaced by large construction rental companies.