The Coronavirus Bill and how it affects the safety of social and private tenants
The Bill was approved at its second reading on 23 March 2020. The Bill does not completely protect tenants from eviction. The purported protection for tenants is actually to extend the notice periods in relation to possession proceedings in respect of residential tenancies.
The Bill extends the notice period for Section 21 Notices from 8 weeks to 3 months and for Notices to Quit from 4 weeks to 3 months. The notice period for Section 8 Notices has been extended from between 2 weeks and 2 months (depending on which ground is relied on) to 3 months.
The flexibility to further amend this 3 month statutory notice period to six months or a specified period of less than 6 months has been included. With the uncertainty surrounding the impact of the coronavirus prevalent, it comes of no surprise the Government has added this caveat.
We will keep you updated as to the impact of these measures as and when further information is released.
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