ARLA has confirmed that it did not know of the imminent hike in court possession fees.

Had it known about the consultation, it would most certainly have made a response, the association said.

As revealed by Eye, the barely publicised hikes were the subject of a quiet consultation over the Christmas and New Year period. From the responses received, it would appear that only lawyers were consulted.

From next week (April 22) applications for possession after the service of Section 8 and Section 21 notices will go up from £175 to £280. The Section 8 claim online service will charge £250, up from £100.

Ian Potter, managing director of ARLA, said: “We had not picked up, through any formal channel, the change to the costs regarding higher court cost.

“These fees had not moved for a few years, but it would have been of interest to us to make a response to the consultation.

“We regularly hear of delays and difficulties in getting cases to court in a reasonable timeframe and hope that the increased income will be used to apply additional resource, permitting a more efficient court service.”