Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, for what reason renters who were issued eviction notices from 26 March to 28 August 2020 are not entitled to a six month notice period.

It is always important to consider retrospective effect when creating new legislation – we must strike a balance that is fair to landlords and tenants.

Thanks to provisions in the Coronavirus Act 2020, landlords serving notice of their intention to seek possession before 29 August would have been required to give their tenants at least three months’ notice.

Those who received notice before 29 August were also protected from eviction by the suspension of possession proceedings until 20 September - and will continue to be protected by new court rules introduced on 20 September and the prioritisation of the most serious cases.

In addition, bailiffs have been asked to ensure that no enforcement of possession orders will proceed where local lockdown measures are in force which restrict access to premises – ensuring tenants remain protected. Furthermore, bailiffs should not enforce possession orders over the Christmas period, other than in the most serious of cases.