In an open letter, the association says delays of six months or more must become a thing of the past, especially with the imminent repeal of Section 21 'no fault evictions'.

The letter cites a recent report by the Raising Standards, Housing and Communities (LUHC) Select Committee, which warned that "it is not clear that the Government fully recognises the extent to which an unreformed court system will undermine its tenancy reforms".

Measures that could reduce court waiting times include the digitisation of court processes and increasing the number of court staff dealing with possession cases.

Ben Beadle, chief executive of the National Association of Home Owners, said: the court service is failing its users and has been doing so for some time. Court waiting times are a major problem for landlords, particularly those who need to recover properties from anti-social tenants or individuals with extreme rent arrears.

Ahead of the second reading of the Renters (Reform) Bill, it is important for the Government to make clear what the court reforms mean and to instil confidence in the sector.

Section 21 was introduced to give landlords the confidence to put their properties on the market in the knowledge that problem tenants can be dealt with quickly. With the abolition of the section 21 scheme, landlords must have the same confidence that their repossession claims will be dealt with promptly when tenants are provided with a legitimate reason for doing so.

The Minister for Levelling Up's insistence that section 21 will only be repealed when the courts are ready to take such cases is entirely correct, but it is time to discuss the details. This must include investment, digitised detail and strong treatment targets to give confidence that the reforms will work for responsible landlords.

Failure to do so will only jeopardise the implementation of the reforms and could exacerbate the already severe rental supply crisis.