The looming threat of the abolition of Section 21 is raising questions over the future shape of the UK’s rental market.

National law firm Dutton Gregory Solicitors fears the change is already deterring swathes of private landlords, with Build to Rent giants coming out on top.

Dutton Gregory’s Landlord and Tenant department is processing an unprecedented number of Section 21 notices, which have been issued to tenants since the announcement of the planned abolishment.

The Ministry of Justice also recently reported that no fault evictions were up by 15.8% in the three months to March.

The Hampshire-headquartered law firm notes that this workload increase could be due to fear and uncertainty felt by private landlords.

A Section 21 notice, commonly known as a ‘no fault’ eviction notice, allows landlords to evict tenants without declaring a reason.

This is currently carried out through the accelerated possession process and does not generally require a hearing to be listed by the courts.

It gives landlords an automatic right to regain their property and an order can be obtained in a matter of 6-8 weeks in most courts outside of London.

As a result of the proposed abolition, the Government has said the grounds of Section 8 will now be strengthened, to allow landlords to recover their property. However, this hasn’t offered peace of mind to many buy-to-let owners.

Source: Property Notify