Courts are open and mortgage possession cases are taking place. Some hearings might be dealt with by telephone or a video link. Make sure you contact the court if you are worried about going to the court because of coronavirus.

Some new stages in the possession process were introduced during the pandemic. These included:

Reactivation Notices: if your lender started court proceedings before 3 August 2020 the case was probably put on hold for a time. If your lender wanted to re-start the case they had to send a Reactivation Notice to you and the court, giving information about the impact coronavirus had on you and your family. Make sure you tell your lender straight away if you are struggling because of coronavirus, for example, if your income has reduced and you cannot pay your mortgage. It is best to do this in an email. After the 1 December 2021 there will no longer be a need for a Reactivation Notice.

Review Date: up until 1 November 2021 the court had to set a Review Date 4 weeks before a possession hearing, so that the judge could review the papers and see if an agreement could be reached before a court hearing took place. Review Dates are no longer required but some courts might decide to continue with them. If you receive notice of a Review Date speak to an adviser as soon as you can. You might be able to get legal help on the day.

Bailiff eviction: bailiffs in Wales were banned from carrying out evictions during the pandemic. This ban ended on the 30 June 2021. From that date bailiffs have been able to carry out evictions regardless of the reason for eviction.

Always get advice if possession proceedings have started against you. You could still lose your home during the pandemic.

If you are struggling to pay your mortgage because of coronavirus you might be able to get some support from your lender. Click here for more information.