Campaigners and tenants will be angered by the government's announcement that planned reforms to ban no fault evictions will be on hold until there has been sufficient progress with reforms to the court system.   

Landlords had voiced concern that banning no fault evictions without addressing the delays with the court system would lead to an increased strain on the workload of already clogged up county courts.  The announcement will give some comfort to landlords that flexibility to remove tenants without having to give reasons will continue for some time, as reform to digitise a complex court system is unlikely to be achieved swiftly. 

Although section 21 will remain for now, landlords who have tried to rely on it will know that the pre-conditions which must be complied with are strict and it does not always offer an easy route to achieving possession.   

Some commentators have argued that abolishing no-fault eviction would lead to a surge in landlords selling their properties and reduce the stock of private rented housing and therefore have a negative impact on tenants in the longer term. The government's announcement may stem the flow of nervous landlords exiting the market for now, but there will inevitably be political pressure to put a timeline on promised reform.