Every Landlords worst nightmare are problem tenants
What do you do when a tenant stops paying rent? You either run to the court or even your solicitor with a load of papers crying that you want him/her out of your property, preferably the following day. “It ain’t going to happen”.
Irrespective of whether you have correct paperwork in place, or not, at the commencement of the tenancy this action could take not weeks but several months and cost you money which you will not recover, in addition to the outstanding rent which increases by the day.
But to make this procedure hurt as little as possible, you must ensure that your paperwork is error free and correct in every detail.
The following documents are five key Landlord Policy Documents.
- Assured shorthold tenancy agreement. “AST”
- Notice under Section 21 of the Housing Act 1988 (the legal eviction notice a landlord can use to regain possession at the end of an AST.
- Notice under Section 8 of the Housing Act 1988 (the legal eviction notice a landlord can issue at any time of the tenant has broken their AST.
- Initial letter to tenants regarding rent arrears. Legally worded, this will act as a reminder to tenants if they have forgotten to pay.
- Landlord’s demand for outstanding rent. Again, legally worded demanding that the rent be paid forthwith and warning of further action.
Now that you have checked that you have complied with the five issues above, you can start to apply for possession.
As at 31 March 2016, the County Court fee for possession is £355 and the application has to be checked carefully to avoid the Judge returning the application to you. If, however, your application is in order, you will be notified by the Court with a Hearing date.
I said at the beginning of this article that it could take several months for the final eviction to take place, I was not exaggerating as there are further actions to be taken to instruct the Court Bailiffs who are extremely busy in all courts and cannot be hurried.
If you wish to discuss any particular issue you may have regarding evicting a tenant, or collecting an unpaid debt, please contact me on enquiries@sjcollections.co.uk and check my blogs regularly on www.sjcollections.co.uk
I wish you luck if this affects you.
SJCOLLECTIONS
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