Following a consultation last year, the Government has issued its response to the consultation on 1 April 2024, which can be found here.

172 of the 202 court and tribunal fees will be increased by 10% in May 2024. The specific date in May 2024 has not yet been given. Annex B sets out the fees that are being increased.

For housing work, attention should be paid to the following:

• Possession claim issue fee – increases from £355 to £391 (see Annex B 1.4(a)).  There continues to be no discount for claims issued via possession claims online (PCOL)
• Application to issue an injunction  – increases from £332 to £365 (1.4(b))
• General application fee – increases from £275 to £303 (2.4(a))
• Fee to file a Consent Order or to make an application by consent – increases from £108 to £119 (2.5(a))
• Application for a warrant of possession – increases from £130 to £143 (8.6)
• Fee for swearing an Affidavit (required, for example, to support an application for contempt of court for breach of an ASB injunction) – increases from £13 to £14
• Fee for a tenant making an application to suspend a warrant, increases by just £1 from £14 to £15

What remains unchanged is the fee for a witness summons, which stays at £21.

Landlords will need to note the impact of these fee increases on their budgets, which will of course, unhelpfully, already have been set by social landlords for the new financial year.