On 25th March 2020, the Coronavirus Act 2020 (“the Act”) came into force and implemented a wide range of measures to protect Tenants affected by the current coronavirus pandemic.
The most pertinent points of the legislation can be found in Section 81 of the Act, as well as in Practice Direction 51Z, and can be summarised as follows:-
- Up until the 30th September 2020, both private and social tenants are to be provided with at least 3 months’ notice prior to the commencement of possession proceedings.
- All evictions from social and private rented accommodation are suspended until 30th October 2020.
- The Secretary of State and has the power to extend these notice periods by up to 6 months.
These notice periods relate to various types of tenancy, including but not limited to Assured Tenancies, Assured Shorthold Tenancies, Flexible Tenancies and Statutory Tenancies.
If you have received or issued a notice of possession prior to the commencement of the Act, this will remain valid to allow possession proceedings to commence at the end of June; that is 3 months after the implementation of the Act.
If you are a landlord or tenant currently dealing with possession proceedings and require further advice, please contact the Dispute Resolution team on 01245 493939.
This is not legal advice; it is intended to provide information of general interest about current legal issues.
