The enforcement of most possession orders in the rented sector during England’s second lockdown will be paused, the government says.

Justice secretary Robert Buckland confirmed the hold on such action in a letter to the High Court Enforcement Officers Association, in which he also explained that he intends to introduce an exemption for cases “with extreme pre-Covid rent arrears, and [I] will provide further detail shortly.”

However, more serious cases that require possession orders, such as illegal trespassing, squatting, fraud, deception or anti-social behaviour are exempt from the ruling.

NRLA chief executive Ben Beadle says: “The vast majority of landlords who have had tenants affected due to the pandemic have been working constructively to support them. We continue to encourage and support such action.

“However, in a minority of cases, renters have abused the protections afforded by the recent ban on repossessions, causing significant hardship. It is therefore important that the government recognises that in the most serious cases enforcement action must continue.”