The new legislation came into force on the 1 October 2015, means that landlords who have done nothing about a legitimate repairs request will not be able to use the Section 21 procedure to regain possession of their property.
Tenants trying to avoid eviction may be abusing a new legal system designed to ban revenge evictions, by deliberately damaging properties. Recent research conducted by PropertyLetByUs.com – a leading online letting agent, shows one in ten tenants admits to causing more than £500 worth of damage to their rented property.
Furthermore, recent stats from the TDS shows that damage to property now accounts for 56% of deposit disputes, up 17% over the last five years (2010 -39%).
Jane Morris, Managing Director of PropertyLetByUs.com comments: “While in principle the legislation is a good move, ensuring that landlords don’t evict tenants because of a genuine disrepair issue, it is open to dishonest tenants bending the law to avoid eviction.
Landlords need to ensure that they make regular checks on their properties and handle tenant’s complaints about damage, quickly and efficiently. If landlords are suspicious that the damage is intentional to avoid eviction, they should consult legal advice.”
