A petition calling for evictions after two weeks’ rent arrears has attracted more than 2,300 signatures so far.
Property investor Ranjan Bhattacharya has launched an official petition calling on the government to enable landlords to start evictions once a tenant falls more than two weeks behind in their rent.
The government has been under growing pressure to protect tenants from the threat of losing their homes during the coronavirus pandemic, following the end of the temporary ban on landlords evicting tenants, but Bhattacharya wants to see more done to help buy-to-let landlords.
Buy-to-let landlords could be facing up to two years without rent due to the government’s decision to introduce a six-month eviction ban, the National Residential Landlords Association (NRLA) recently calculated.
Tenants across the UK are facing months of rent arrear payments as a consequence of the existing pandemic.
Until recently, tenants unable to pay their rent were protected from eviction.
The NRLA has penned a letter to the prime minister requesting that the government immediately address the existing situation, which many investors see as being unsustainable, especially in light of the fact that repossession cases on the grounds of rent arrears will not be treated as a priority until tenants have built over a year’s worth of rent debts.
Added to this is the six months’ notice that landlords now have to give. Where the case is disputed, even before the pandemic, courts were taking an average of nearly six months to deal with cases, with the backlog now likely to be longer.
Bhattacharya said: “There are laws in place to protect shop keepers large and small. Not paying rent is also theft with the Landlord being the victim.
“In Australia, tenants can be evicted for being 14 days in arrears with rent. Let’s have that system here [in the UK].”
He continued: “The current system is unfair to landlords. If a tenant doesn’t pay rent then it can take a year for Landlord to regain procession. In that time the landlord still has to pay mortgage and other costs. This can ruin many small-scale landlords.
“Furthermore, it incentives landlords to only rent their properties to tenants with higher than average income who are likely to care about getting a bad credit rating.
“Let’s have an Australian style system which aims to be neutral between landlord and tenant.”
The petition, which you can view by clicking here, will need 10,000 signatures in order to get a response from the government.
Good luck with that ! Any effort which might get in the way of the governments relentless chase for the tenant vote will definitely fall on deaf ears
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This is a personal PR trip and a waste of time.
There wasn’t anything wrong with the system before March. Landlords could insure against the risk of a tenant not paying and arrears in the PRS was at an all time low. It’s the action since March that is the problem, but some sectors are being affected far worse than ours. It’ll revert back to normal in the next twelve months.
Petitions like this do nothing to help the image of the private landlord.
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In the PRS sector where it involves Commercial Property is just one example within the same industry.
Carnage let me tell you! Bankruptcies and CVA’s crushing some landlords.
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”It’ll revert back to normal in the next twelve months.”
I suspect not…abolition of the Sec.21 has been on the agenda for some years now…COVID ”renter protection” measures have given the relevant departments suitable justification upon which to work toward this end. I suspect two month notice periods, and the Sec.21 as we knew it, are both things of the past.
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The image of the Private Landlord is constantly bashed by the cretins in Government, Shelter, Generation Rant, councils, etc. Whilst I accept it is unlikely to make any difference it is good for the Government to realise that landlords matter as well. I will be signing this and think every one in property should do so as well. As a agent if you landlords leave the market you will have no business so sitting on your hands is no answer.
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Absolute nonsense. Exactly the type of thing that gives landlords a bad name. Ill judged, and won’t gain anything whatsoever. Im not sure why these people think it a gd idea.
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I dont know the guys personal financial situation but maybe he’s been caught out by the circumstances ….I know I have. It must be frustrating for a landlord to have goalposts moved back all the time without being offered any help. Especially if you are struggling financially.
Im sure the vast majority of tenants will act responsibly but there are those who will exploit this situation ….the same being true of landlords.
So I can fully understand the guys frustration and wish to voice his opinion…..I would probably do the same.
(No Im not a landlord.)
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Two weeks rent arrears …. you are joking. Does he mean two weeks accelerated possession order that has been put on hold, that often took months anyway!
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Ranjan Bhattacharya may run successful seminars for property investors but this petition displays astonishing naiveté. With tens of thousands of tenants in rent arrears and tens of thousands more about to be be made redundant, now is the worst time politically to be calling for this. At best Bhattacharya will achieve absolutely nothing. At worst his petition will energise opponents of landlords and their supporters in Parliament. So when Sunak gives landlords another kicking (complete withdrawal of mortgage interest relief perhaps!) in the next Budget the few MPs who might have fought our corner will not speak out.
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Sounds like a knee jerk, to me.
For arguments’ sake, and speaking as a landlord, I don’t think you should be able to evict after just 14 days. Tenants – like everyone – can and do suffer small blips in their income particularly when they change jobs, so 14 days isn’t a long enough time period to make a full and final judgement on them.
I do, however, think that the current rules are ridiculous and a compromise is needed – one which avoids eviction if both sides demonstrate positive intent and the tenant enters into and sticks to an agreement, and allows an eviction to proceed if the tenant clearly doesn’t demonstrate that.
If those safeguards are in place, I see no reason why the landlord shouldn’t be able to INSTIGATE official eviction proceedings, which come to a stop if either the tenant meets minimum action points, or the landlord chooses to. Similarly, the landlord should demonstrate that they’ve gone through a series of positive action plans, such as agreeing time to pay, for instance.
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I note the reasonable approach adopted by most people but being reasonable gets you no where. Although I would not consider evicting a tenant on two weeks arrears Landlords need to show they have had enough of the unreasonable landlord bashing and this is, perhaps extreme way of telling Government they have well overstepped the the mark of what is reasonable so I would support this petetion as a protest in the full knowledge it will be ignored by everyone. No more a rediculous that that made by Shelter on a regular basis. I understand my thoughts and comments will not be popular and will happily accept all your dislikes!
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Landlords are ‘ on their knees ‘ waiting too be slain b y the Govt, encouraged on by tenant support groups ( oblivious to the harm it will do in turn to Tenants ) Seems Landlords have two choices, stay on your knees, waiting for the sword to fall on you , or rise up and fight back like some Landlords are doing.
If as a Landlord you don’t agree with this petition, please post and tell us all what positive measures you’ve launched !
If the petition just gives a message to Govt, that’s better than, Nothing.
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