Rental evictions can restart in August
Earlier this year the government passed the Coronavirus Act, which among other things, made it illegal for landlords to evict renters for a specified amount of time.
This means that proceedings to evict tenants from private or socially rented accommodation in England and Wales can’t resume until at least 23rd August 2020.
In Scotland, tenants are protected from eviction action until 30th September 2020 where a landlord has issued a notice on or after 7th April 2020.
The main change is that normally, depending on the circumstances, a landlord would have to give between 14 days’ and 2 months’ notice before they could begin court proceedings to evict a tenant.
Now, no matter what type of tenancy, or what type of notice is served, or for what reason, all these notice periods were extended for three months.
So with little over a month before eviction proceedings resume, we thought we’d cover some of the main questions being asked.
Does the tenant evictions ban mean literally NO evictions, or are there any exceptions?
It is a blanket ban. On the 18th March this year, the government announced a “complete ban on evictions” for renters in the wake of the coronavirus outbreak.
This meant that if a tenant was served an eviction notice, the landlord would have to wait at least three months before taking it to court to be enforced.
What happens if a tenant is struggling to pay the rent?
The best thing for tenants to do is speak with their landlords as soon as possible to explain their situation and attempt to set up a feasible plan.
The government has said that it’s important landlords offer support and understanding to tenants who may start to see their income fluctuate.
There is no specific plan that a landlord needs to agree to, so it’s important that tenants, letting agents, and landlords work together to find solutions that will work for everyone.
If you’re a tenant, it’s also worth speaking with your local authority, as there may be help available for you.
I’m a landlord, and my tenant is causing problems. What are my options?
There simply is not a ‘one size fits all’ approach to this. Landlords are urged to, where possible, work collaboratively with their tenants to come to mutual agreements.
Whether you have an issue with rent arrears or anti-social behaviour, it’s possible landlords will not be able to gain possession of their properties for a while.
One option is to consider mediation. Organisations such as the Property Redress Scheme and The Property Ombudsman offer mediation services between landlords and tenants to aid finding a resolution over issues which have arisen during a tenancy.
Mediation is a voluntary, impartial and confidential process, which allows disputes to be resolved much quicker and with less cost than going through courts.
READ MORE: TV’s Paul Shamplina latest advice to landlords
READ MORE: What should I do if I can’t pay my rent?
