Anticipating the next stage of the Possession Claims has been Difficult

Last week, on the Friday 17th July as a result of the Coronavirus Act 2020, it was announced that the Civil Procedure Rules relating to possession claims would be changed, however, it was only this week that those changes were announced.

The Impact of CoronavirusAfter 5 months of housing possession being suspended, the courts will re-open to hear possession claims on the 23rd August 2020, and as a result, the New Practice Direction (PD) will apply for an “interim period” from 23 August 2020 until 28 March 2021. For private landlords must now attend any court hearing with two copies of a notice which sets out exactly what they know about the effect of the coronavirus on the tenant. This notice must be sent to the tenant before the hearing. This protocol also applies to Accelerated Possession Proceedings, which means that a similar notice MUST be included. PLEASE NOTE THE N5B WILL NOT BE AMENDED TO DEAL WITH THIS CHANGE NOR WILL CLAIMANTS BE REMINDED.
Existing ClaimsThe PD 55C will separate claims into TWO groups :-

Group 1 - Claims that were issued before 3 August 2020
Group 2 - Claims issued on or after 3 August 2020.