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Landlords

Get Your Enforcement Writ in First

If you take out a writ of control against someone who owes you money, there are currently extra hurdles to get over. Besides backlogs in the court system, in some cases, bailiffs won’t be able to enter the debtor’s property. However, it’s still possible to effectively enforce a writ. You just have to be careful that you get everything right. In What Order Are Writs Dealt With? There’s an old c
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Poverty and Debt — the Legacy of Covid-19

2020 has been a difficult year in so many ways. Quite apart from the struggles of living in lockdown, the disruption has had a devastating effect on many bank balances. Two recent reports show the growing level of hardship many households are facing and the debt burden being taken on to cope with this. 30% of Households Facing Hardship Research by the Resolution Foundation suggests that incomes have fallen significan
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How Is Enforcement Being Handled During the Lockdown?

During the first Covid-19 lockdown, we were in unknown territory, and rules had to be worked out on the go. This time, we’re more used to being locked down, and regulations (many of which are much the same as for tiers 2 and 3) have been put quickly in place. And this includes the regulations for enforcement visits for writs of control, writs of possession and serving eviction orders. The Rules for Writs of Con
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PROPERTY NEWS UK

On 16th OCTOBER 2020, RYAN BEMBRIDGE headlined in the above A quarter (23%) of home-owners are worried about renewing their mortgage during the pandemic, a poll from specialist broker Willow Private Finance has found. A third (32%) said their income was less secure now than before the pandemic, while more than one in 10 (12%) had to take a payment holiday during COVID. The proportion of those feeling less financially
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Section 8 Notices

A legal expert for ARLA Propertymark has said letting agents and landlords should consider serving a second Section 8 notice if rental arrears accrue to more than six months of missed payments, even if their original Section 8 has yet to come into force. This is because of a crucial change at the six months of arrears mark, when the notice period for tenants drops from six months to just four weeks. Robert Bolwell a
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Enforcement Visits — When Will They Be Back to Normal?

Since the Covid-19 lockdown began, it’s been difficult not only to initiate claims for debt recovery, but even to enforce orders already granted by the courts. This is because many enforcement visits have been suspended, making repayment entirely dependent on the debtor choosing to obey the order. However, the lockdown is being gradually eased. We can eat at a restaurant, enjoy a pint at a pub and even have a h
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Can Bailiffs Charge VAT on Enforcing High Court Judgements?

The cost of recovering debts through High Court Enforcement can be substantial — although considerably less than writing off the debt. However, there’s general confusion about one element — VAT. Should it be paid by the creditor, the debtor or not at all? Why Would You Use High Court Enforcement Officers? If you’ve received a court judgement in your favour for a debt that you’re owed but the debtor doesn’t immediatel
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Disputes over Returning a Tenant’s Deposit

If you’ve been a landlord for any length of time, you’ve probably experienced the procedure when a tenancy ends by mutual consent. Among the steps that must be taken is the return of the tenant’s deposit. This is usually a fairly straightforward process, but occasionally there may be a dispute over what exactly you need to return. Regulations About Deposits When you take a tenant’s deposit at the beginning of the ten
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What Does It Cost You to Be a Landlord?

To anyone outside the buy-to-let world, it seems as if landlords are sitting back and raking in profits. While this was never really true, a few years ago there was some justification for the perception. But no longer. A combination of increasing hidden costs and Government measures such as increasing Stamp Duty have left landlords in a position where the average annual return is hardly more than £2,000 on each prope
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Council Tax Debt — Is It the Same as Other Types of Debt?

Debts come in many shapes and sizes. Most of the debts I recover are owed to private businesses or landlords, but money can also be owed to public bodies, including council tax due to local authorities. But are these debts a special case? The Dilemma of Council Tax Debts Councillors in Wolverhampton recently launched a drive to recover thousands of pounds owed in unpaid council taxes, and are looking at possible stra
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