A boost in court resources as well as measures to fast-track the most serious possession cases related to anti-social behaviour and rent arrears will be vital post-Section 21, says NRLA chief executive Ben Beadle.
Without reform, a rise in cases will add to an already creaking system that leaves landlords in limbo, he explains, putting them under severe long-term strain.
Writing in The Times, Beadle explains that MPs on the cross-party housing select committee have already warned that, 'it is not clear whether the government fully appreciates the extent to which an unreformed courts system could undermine its tenancy reforms'�.
'When section 21 is gone it will become much harder to tackle the behaviour of the small number of renters who inflict misery on neighbours and other tenants,'� says Beadle, who explains that councils and the police will have much greater responsibility to enable landlords to prove anti-social behaviour.
'There should be an automatic right for a landlord to repossess a property where it can be proved that a tenant has displayed anti-social behaviour.
"The courts need clear and comprehensive guidance to ensure they prioritise cases that involve such behaviour.'�
Beadle adds that too often, debate about the future of the rental sector has sought to pit the rights of tenants against those of landlords - but their fortunes are intertwined.
'While tenants should feel safe and secure, enhanced rights will count for nothing if the homes aren't there to rent because investing in property isn't worth the effort or the risk.'�
The Law Society agrees that backlogs in every court are already delaying justice for tens of thousands of people due to a dire shortage of judges and court staff. It believes the Spring Budget was a missed opportunity for the government to provide desperately needed investment in the justice system.
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