Court fee rises kick in this week

Landlords are being reminded that court fees have increased by 10%, with the changes introduced this week.

The increases follow a consultation last year and apply to almost all fees payable to the court.

For landlords the most relvent are the costs of:

·         A warrant of possession, which has risen from £130 to £143

·         Enforcing a money judgement, which has gone up from £119 to £131

·         Making a possession claim in the county court, which has increased 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 will raise between £30-37 million and lead to greater investment in the court service.

The NRLA has published updated completion notes and guidance to reflect these new fees, with, applications made before last Wednesday (May 1st) remaining 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.

Last week during the Renters Reform Bill debate, Levelling Up Minister Jacob Young announced that £11.2 million was being allocated to the project. This is in addition to the £1.2 million already announced.