We reported last month that bailiffs in England and Wales had been told they should not enforce any possession orders over the Christmas period, between 11th December and 11th January.
Following that, the justice secretary wrote to bailiffs’ associations to request that they do not enter any properties in areas of England classified as 2 (high) or 3 (very high) under the new Covid-19 alert ‘tier’ system. This has been agreed to by members of the High Court Enforcement Officers Association.
In Wales, where different lockdown restrictions apply, evictions are not currently taking place while the country is under ‘firebreak’ conditions.
Obviously, with lockdown restrictions changing frequently and sometimes rapidly, all of us in the buy to let industry must be prepared for the rules around evictions to also fluctuate. But, as it currently stands, while bailiffs may not be able to execute evictions, the courts are open for possession hearings so, if you need to evict your tenant for any valid reason, you can begin the process.
For more information, see our full blog on how rules have changed around evictions during the pandemic. And if you have any questions about how to deal with non-paying or troublesome tenants during the current pandemic, just contact your local Reeds Rains branch and one of the team will be happy to help.
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The Reeds Rains Content Marketing Team
