Renters facing eviction will get greater access to legal aid after at least a 24% boost to funding for these cases, ahead of the Renters’ Rights Bill expected to come into law later this year.
The Ministry of Justice says it will lift the rates paid to lawyers for all housing and immigration legal aid work for the first time in almost 30 years.
The uplift for immigration cases is 30%, and is a rise of £20m a year to both areas combined once fully implemented, representing the first “significant investment” since 1996.
The department says: “This extra funding means more people will get the support they need, when they need it – reducing stress and preventing delays in housing cases.
“At the same time, it will help speed up decision-making in immigration cases, ensuring a fairer, faster process for everyone involved.”
Justice minister Sarah Sackman adds: “This vital investment marks a turning point for civil legal aid by boosting funding to build capacity in the sector, helping to enable individuals, regardless of background or income, to uphold their legal rights.”
The department points out that the fixed fee for housing work will jump by 42% to £223 from £157.
The changes come as the Renters’ Rights Bill is currently at the report stage in the House of Lords.
This flagship legislation proposes to limit rent increases to once a year, moves to end bidding wars, scraps fixed-term tenancies, as well as banning Section 21 no-fault evictions.
Labour, during last July’s General Election, said it would end no-fault evictions “immediately” if it won power, with many in government expecting it to become law this summer.
But now the Bill does not look like becoming law until the autumn at the earliest.
However, buy-to-let professionals will be happy with the extra time this allows to influence the final Bill.
The National Residential Landlords Association are among those who have warned that the courts do not have the capacity to handle the extra cases that would occur after no-fault evictions are abolished.
