header-logo header-logo

21 May 2009
Issue: 7370 / Categories: Legal News , Property
printer mail-detail

Repossessions fall

Property

There has been a sharp fall in mortgage and landlord possessions, providing some rare good news for the recession-hit property market.

Ministry of Justice figures for the first quarter of 2009 show there were 22,609 mortgage possession claims issued in the county courts of England and Wales, a drop of 42% compared with the first quarter of 2008.

Just over 17,000 mortgage possession orders were made, nearly half of which were suspended.

Some 35,745 landlord possession claims were issued, 5% lower than in the first quarter of 2008. 27,458 landlord possession orders were made, 5% lower than in the first quarter of 2008, of which 44% were suspended.

RICS chief economist Simon Rubinsohn said: “Data released [last week] provides further evidence that government policies are working.

“Even before the introduction of home owner mortgage support and the bedding down of the mortgage rescue scheme, the figures show that both the number of claims issued and orders made fell sharply. As these schemes begin to have a meaningful impact over the coming months, the likelihood is that the number of claims issued will continue to weaken.”

Issue: 7370 / Categories: Legal News , Property
printer mail-details

MOVERS & SHAKERS

NLJ Career Profile: Nick Vernon, Walkers Bermuda

NLJ Career Profile: Nick Vernon, Walkers Bermuda

Nick Vernon of Walkers on swapping Birmingham for Bermuda and building an employment practice by the sea

Bird & Bird—Christian Bartsch

Bird & Bird—Christian Bartsch

Global firm re-elects CEO for second term

Fletchers Group—Miriam Hall

Fletchers Group—Miriam Hall

Business appoints managing director of operational excellence

NEWS

From blockbuster judgments to procedural shake-ups, the courts are busy reshaping litigation practice. Writing in NLJ this week, Professor Dominic Regan of City Law School hails the Court of Appeal's 'exquisite judgment’ in Mazur restoring the role of supervised non-qualified staff, and highlights a ‘mammoth’ damages ruling likened to War and Peace, alongside guidance on medical reporting fees, where a pragmatic 25% uplift was imposed

Momentum is building behind proposals to restrict children’s access to social media—but the legal and practical challenges are formidable. In NLJ this week, Nick Smallwood of Mills & Reeve examines global moves, including Australia’s under-16 ban and the UK's consultation
Reforms designed to rebalance landlord-tenant relations may instead penalise leaseholders themselves. In this week's NLJ, Mike Somekh of The Freehold Collective warns that the Leasehold and Freehold Reform Act 2024 risks creating an ‘underclass’ of resident-controlled freehold companies
Timing is everything—and the Court of Appeal has delivered clarity on when proceedings are ‘brought’. In his latest 'Civil way' column for NLJ, Stephen Gold explains that a claim is issued for limitation purposes when the claim form is delivered to the court, even if fees are underpaid
The traditional ‘single, intensive day’ of financial dispute resolution (FDR) may be due for a rethink. Writing in NLJ this week, Rachel Frost-Smith and Lauren Guiler of Birketts propose a ‘split FDR’ model, separating judicial evaluation from negotiation
back-to-top-scroll