Court fees to rise next week
Court fees will be increasing by 10% from next Wednesday.
The increase, which follows a consultation year, applies to almost all fees payable to the court, but for landlords the most important are likely to be the cost of:
· A warrant of possession, which will rise from £130 to £143
· Enforcing a money judgement, which will go up from £119 to £131
· Making a possession claim in the county court, increasing from £355 to £391
The increased fees come despite widespread criticism over the quality of the service provided by the courts at present.
This fee increase has been justified on the basis that CPI has risen by 17% since fees were last increased in 2021.
The consultation response also stated that the fee increase would raise between £30-37 million and lead to greater investment in the court service.
The NRLA will publish updated completion notes and guidance to reflect these new fees on May 1st once they come into effect. In the meantime, applications made before May 1st will be at the lower price.
Digitising possession claims
As part of its promised improvements of the court service, the Government intends to digitise the possession process.
While details are scarce on what this might look like, more funding has been announced to support the digitisation project.
This week during the Renters Reform Bill debate, Levelling Up Minister Jacob Young announced that £11.2 million pounds was being allocated to the project. This is in addition to the £1.2 million already announced.
