Council leaders call for longer eviction notice periods to prevent homelessness

i find that when tenants leave owing money and also their other debts the councils are at fault because they know where they have moved to as most claim housing benefit but will never let the landlords know so that we can recover our debts. even council tax and water rates are just written off every time the tenants are re-housed by the council. usually given new houses or housing association properties and then start all over again in the same way
;h

Four months? I'd give my right arm for four months. The notice period on a tenancy agreement isn't worth the paper it's written on. I gave my tenant notice to leave in December 2021. He's still there !!! Willesden County Court deferred my section 21 by 2 years. My subsequent Section 8 succeeded in October of last year but I am now five months waiting for an eviction date.

Four months. What a joke !!!!! PS I'm currently £16000 out of pocket between lost rent and legal fees.

Reply to the comment left by TJP at 08/03/2024 - 11:47
Why is it delayed for 2 years, never heard that before

Reply to the comment left by TJP at 08/03/2024 - 11:47
TJP
no words TJP

its communism pure and simple

Big Corporate Govt want Mom and Pop Landlords out of business so Blackrock can take over!

Reply to the comment left by PETER harvey at 08/03/2024 - 10:43
Actually the utilities dont always write off the debts , they will use a tracing agency to find the new address (which can take many months for it to 'pop up'). You can use a tracing agency as well (costs around £40), but leave it for a year before you do.

Reply to the comment left by GlanACC at 08/03/2024 - 16:56
Yes months maybe years, been over 1 year for me know, Agent still has not located x tenant. I think they know what to do.

Reply to the comment left by Happy housing at 08/03/2024 - 17:03
As I previously was employed by one of the big credit reference agencies (writing software), then I am pretty familiar with how people ‘disappear’.

When a tenant moves without giving a forwarding address and you want to recover money from them, then you have to wait for their new address to be linked to the old address.

A person is identified by name(s) and date of birth. There are a number of primary sources in determining the new address

Electoral Register, but most people in debt that do not want to be traced don’t bother registering (means they can’t vote).

A credit agreement, mobile phone contract (when trying to avoid paying debts people often change the mobile number) etc. They have to give previous addresses for these, which ARE checked by the finance companies. (When trying to avoid paying debts, they may leave direct debits etc active but don’t tell the finance company they have moved)

Bank data is not available to the credit reference agencies.

Government held addresses (Council Tax, HMRC, DVLA, Benefits etc) are not available for use by the credit reference agencies with very few exceptions (yup, data protection !).

So until a tenant registers on the electoral register at the new address or takes out a new, or amends a finance agreement then they will still be shown at the old address.

So, the tracing agencies will use the data supplied by one of the top 3 credit reference agencies, and if they don’t have the up to date address then you just have to wait.

How many nails to seal the coffin on the PRS?
If they are going to allow months notice it had better be that:
- all arrears area cleared
- the rent is paid promptly every month, or the date of vacation becomes due one week later
- the move out on the date specfied.

It is time the government understood that a tenancy is a contract and needs to be fulfilled by both parties. If th tenant cant affor the rent, move on before the debt grows beyond the deposit.

Reply to the comment left by No at 01/03/2024 - 02:46
The vast majority of Section 21 evictions are for rent arrears, damage to the property or anti social behaviour.. Why should such tenants have longer notice? At the moment they already have had their full term of the contract. Mr Grove's stupid (very stupid) claim that it will be easier to evict anti social tenants without waiting for the fixed term tenancy to expire as "hearsay" evidence will be allowed in court eviction proceedings is nonsense. If landlords can (supposedly) have hearsay evidence, then why not tenants also. His proposal, if passed, will soon be overruled with Gen Rent and Shelter screaming about "hearsay evictions".. Grove should have just extended periodic tenancies to one year and allow Councils to randomly inspect properties receiving housing benefit /UC and cut the benefit if the property is substandard. Benefit on the PROPERTY would/should remain reduced until the landlord makes improvements... SIMPLES..

Reply to the comment left by Happy housing at 08/03/2024 - 12:05I took out a section 21. It took 7 months to get to court. At the hearing, the judge invented a deposit for my tenant and deferred by a month. The month became 5 months and the 5 months became 1 year and 6 months. No reasons offered! Add the 7 plus the 5 plus the 1 year and 6. Total 2 years. No explanation as to why. In the meantime I have succeeded with a section 8. Bailiff applied for last October. As I write, and despite many attempts by my solicitor, I await an eviction date: 5 months and counting... No explanation from the court as to why it is taking so long. I will be selling up as soon as I possibly can, but I like to think I am one of the many good BTL landlords and I will not dump on my tenants simply because Gove and the tories, and the council, and the taxman and the corrupt court system have dumped on me !