Possession of land and general applications Court fees rise
Today, 21 March 2016 the fees payable for Possession claims and general applications including divorce proceedings in Courts in England and Wales have risen, with very little in the way of notice being given by the Courts.
In some cases Court fees have risen by 100%; applications by consent now attract a fee of £100.00, up from £50.00 if they were filed with the Court last week.
An increase in the issue fee for a claim for possession in the County Court has risen from £280.00 to £355.00, a further worry for buy to let investors who are being increasingly squeezed financially in every direction by HMRC, local authorities and legislation.
Even a standard application made on notice as increased by over 64% from £155.00 to £255.00, further increasing the likely costs of pursuing Court proceedings for the recovery of sums owed or damages claimed in the Courts.
All of this puts greater emphasis on parties resolving issues where possible without the need for Court proceedings, which even last week were an expensive option and from today are even more so.
Alternative Dispute Resolution is the new buzz word and we are happy to advise clients on methods of settling disputes without the Court's intervention where appropriate.
Of course ADR is no use to a landlord with tenants who have stopped paying the rent, or are damaging his property, as without a Possession Order from the Court they cannot and will not move out.
And a Petitioner to a Divorce have little option but to pay the new increase petition fee.
In some cases Court fees have risen by 100%; applications by consent now attract a fee of £100.00, up from £50.00 if they were filed with the Court last week.
An increase in the issue fee for a claim for possession in the County Court has risen from £280.00 to £355.00, a further worry for buy to let investors who are being increasingly squeezed financially in every direction by HMRC, local authorities and legislation.
Even a standard application made on notice as increased by over 64% from £155.00 to £255.00, further increasing the likely costs of pursuing Court proceedings for the recovery of sums owed or damages claimed in the Courts.
All of this puts greater emphasis on parties resolving issues where possible without the need for Court proceedings, which even last week were an expensive option and from today are even more so.
Alternative Dispute Resolution is the new buzz word and we are happy to advise clients on methods of settling disputes without the Court's intervention where appropriate.
Of course ADR is no use to a landlord with tenants who have stopped paying the rent, or are damaging his property, as without a Possession Order from the Court they cannot and will not move out.
And a Petitioner to a Divorce have little option but to pay the new increase petition fee.
