HM Courts and Tribunals Service has halted the work of bailiffs on safety grounds.
An incident is under investigation, and it’s believed that the situation won’t change until all bailiffs have bespoke, personal protective equipment.
While no landlord wants to see a bailiff injured in the course of their work, a specialist lettings legal service says the move is a bitter blow for many landlords who have already been struggling for months to regain control of their properties via clogged and dysfunctional legal means.
LegalforLandlords has been recording the scale of the problem, which appears to be particularly acute in the capital.
Courts affected include Central London, Croydon, Brentford and Wandsworth.
Sim Sekhon, LegalforLandlords managing director, believes there may well be others.
“These are the cases we know about because our clients are directly affected. We can’t overstate the misery this is causing.”
Sekhon says his team is aware 80 cases awaiting bailiff appointments – the majority in London.
There are also four cases where existing bailiff appointments have been cancelled - often at short notice with the court expecting the landlord to inform the tenant.
There is no indication currently of when the bailiff service will be operating again or when new appointments will be confirmed.
If the courts are aware of the distress their move is causing landlords, there’s little sign that they are hurrying to alleviate it, says Sekhon.
“The only option is to apply to the High Court,” he says. “But doing so is a lot more costly and there are no guarantees that the judge will appoint a High Court Enforcement Officer.
“It’s a terrible situation. It’s causing real problems and we have no idea how long it may persist. Once again, landlords’ needs are being ignored.”
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Shelter should be campaigning for fast eviction of rogue tenants to free up properties for decent tenants but they only support rogue tenants.
This is worrying… given as of yet we have not lost s21… 🆘
It is very difficult to get out of the business now - imagine what it will be like when that legislation is in force.
Robert I wasn’t reporting you
C'mon Michael!
I disagreed with you once a few days ago and you're reporting me????
Are you limbering up for a job with Shelter? I hear the pay's good and the more harm you do, the more admired you become!
No hope of me limbering up for a job with Shelter and I don’t recall deliberately reporting you but this phone or technology has a mind of it own and libel to change what I say even when I press send. Technology root cause of all without it we wouldn’t have all this nonsense, they would actually have to do something rather than pressing a button to destroy a Business.
Technology only came along in very recent years but already using 20% of all the energy produced.
Totally agree Michael!
It also keeps changing my spelling, like let's instead of lets, and I HATE seeing apostrophes put where they shouldn't be, and missed out where they should be!
As for using American spelling and txt type abbreviations.......
Anyway, good luck with the Shelter interview.... Just spout out some lefty nonsense and you should be well on your way to a six figure salary!
Hilarious victim complex from parasite landlords as they make people homeless. If things get much worse they might actually have to do a days work instead of taking half of everyone else's wages.
What you have done to people will not be forgotten!
up voted by your self then Sat Reddy
Yeah. Got me there. Just trying to get the ball rolling. Still what I said is true.
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