Renters facing evictions will receive greater legal aid at least before the bill of rights expected to become renters later this year.
The Justice Department said it will increase the cost of all housing and immigration legal aid work for the first time in nearly 30 years.
The increase in immigration cases was 30 per cent, and once fully implemented, both sectors increased by £20 million a year, the first “major investment” since 1996.
“This additional funding means that when needed, more people will get the support they need – alleviating stress and preventing delays in housing cases,” the department said.
“At the same time, it will help speed up decisions in immigration cases, thus ensuring a fair, faster process to all involved.”
Attorney General Sarah Sackman added: “This important investment marks a turning point in civil legal aid, building the industry’s capacity by increasing funds to help enable individuals (regardless of background or income) to safeguard their legal rights.”
The department notes that the fixed costs of housing work will jump 42 per cent from £157 to £223.
These changes are coming as the Renters’ Bill of Rights is currently in the reporting phase of the House of Lords.
The flagship legislation recommends limiting rent increases to once a year to end the bidding war, fixed-term waste and prohibiting Article 21 without fault evictions.
Labor said in a general election last July that it would end its unfault eviction immediately if it wins power, and many governments hope to become law this summer.
But now, until the earliest fall, the bill didn’t seem to be law.
However, the purchase of LET professional will be satisfied with the extra time this allows to affect the final bill.
The National Residential Landlords Association is the one who warns that courts are not able to handle additional cases that will occur after a failure-free eviction.
