Perpetrators of domestic abuse in England will be excluded from a six-month notice of eviction the government proposes to have in place until at least 31 March.
The overarching purpose of the extension to the time landlords have to give for a repossession notice is to help tenants over the winter while the coronavirus crisis continues to play out, says the ministry of housing, communities and local government.
As well domestic abuse perpetrators, the stay of execution excludes anti-social behaviour (ASB) and other serious matters. Details of the categories to be classed as serious are being worked on.
Housing secretary Robert Jenrick also announced on 21 August that the government will extend the ban on evictions in England and Wales for another four weeks to 20 September. It had been due to end on 23 August, as reported in an earlier posting in the NCDV’s e-magazine.
Jenrick said: “It is right that the most egregious cases, for example those involving anti-social behaviour or domestic abuse perpetrators, begin to be heard in court again; and so when courts reopen, landlords will once again be able to progress these priority cases.”
The National Housing Federation, which represents housing associations, was quoted as saying in sector journal Housing Today: “It is important to remember that for social landlords, evictions are always a last resort but are unfortunately sometimes necessary to protect residents and communities, for example in instances of domestic abuse and serious cases of ASB.”
The government said it will keep the measures under review with decisions guided by the latest public health advice.
