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14/7/25 8:13 pm
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Landlord Action’s Paul Shamplina has poured water on the government’s assertion that evicting anti-social tenants from PRS homes should be easier after 1st May.
When asked in Parliament what steps it was taking to reduce court delays around ASB hearings, Justice Minister Sarah Sackman dodged the question and stressed that less than 25% of possession claims required progression to enforcement.
She said the Renters’ Rights Act would shorten the notice period for the existing mandatory anti-social behaviour eviction ground. “As soon as landlords have served their notice for eviction to the tenant for anti-social behaviour using this ground, they can begin possession proceedings through the court immediately.”
Landlords will be able to use mandatory possession ground 7A or 14 once Section 21 is abolished next May.
However, Shamplina says the reality is that landlords have used Section 21 as a backup plan for evidencing anti-social behaviour
“The new grounds will be evidence-based and go to a hearing,” the eviction expert tells LandlordZONE. “You may be able to start proceedings quicker, but you are relying on getting a hearing date. We’re expecting a big increase because of the ban on Section 21.”
It’s also very hard to get co-tenants to give evidence, Shamplina explains. “It’s not just about getting a possession order; it’s the age-old problem of getting a bailiff eviction date – it’s already in crisis as we’ve got a massive shortage of bailiffs.”
Along with Propertymark, the NRLA, and the High Court Enforcement Officers Association, Landlord Action is urgently asking that high court enforcement officers should be able to carry out evictions, in order to speed up the process.
“Waiting 15 months for an eviction date at Clerkenwell County Court is totally unacceptable, especially when you’re coping with anti-social tenants,” he adds.
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