Receivership during the COVID-19 era: Proactivity is now even more essential

By

Daniel Richardson - Partner CG&Co

The imperative for lenders to take the most proactive approach to property receivership has just ramped up a notch.

The reason for this is simple…

Notice periods for evictions in England returned to pre-pandemic levels on October 1.

In short, this means that those giving notice of their intention to evict via either a Section 21 or Section 8 notice will need two months’ notice, down from six months.

And this is all unfolding at a time when both the courts as well as the bailiffs are likely to be even more inundated.

Contextualisation

Before discussing what lenders must do at this point in time, let’s briefly place the current situation in context.

When the pandemic hit, the government extended notice periods to six months to protect renters from Covid-19’s worst ravages.

The success of the vaccine programme subsequently resulted in these periods being reduced to four months on June 1, 2021, and, since then, the country has successfully moved through the government’s Roadmap to Recovery.

Bar for a last-minute spike in Covid-19 cases, the intention is that notice periods will now reduce to pre-pandemic levels – namely two months – from October 1.

It’s worth noting that the government has retained the power to implement appropriate measures again if the public health situation worsens and it’s deemed necessary.

Implications for lenders

At this point in time, there’s a clear risk that lenders could encounter an increasing number of default loans.

The ending of the furlough scheme at the end of September combined with the phased conclusion of the mortgage payment holiday will increasingly impact both the ability of tenants to pay their rent and property owners to meet their loan repayments.

And this, in turn, will place unprecedented demand on both the courts and enforcement officials.

Consequently, it remains more essential than ever that lenders adopt the most proactive and informed approach to property receivership.

At CG&Co, we’ve long-standing relationships in place with some of the most effective enforcement officers in the country – and this continues to pay dividends at a time when demand for bailiffs’ services has dramatically increased.

We intend to draw on these relationships as well as the high level of expertise that exists within our organisation to continue securing the best outcome for lenders at the earliest opportunity in coming months.

To conclude

Since the pandemic began, CG&Co has consistently adopted the most highly proactive approach to property receivership.

Our Property Receivers work closely with our inhouse legal team to ensure that each case is always progressed as far as possible at the earliest opportunity.

With the courts and bailiffs universally expected to become busier than ever before things return to ‘normal’, CG&Co intends to consolidate and augment our highly motivated strategy.

As we enter the next phase of this Covid-19 era, lenders owe it to themselves to ensure that they only work with the most proactive firm of Property Receivers.

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