An MP for Brent is trying to table proposals in Parliament that will aim to prevent landlords from evicting tenants in retaliation for complaining about properties or asking for essential work to be carried out. She argues that too many landlords are using ‘retaliatory evictions’ as a way of getting rid of tenants who complain. But is this true and what would happen if the proposals go ahead?
Section 21 Notices Could Be Withdrawn under New Proposals
MPs say that retaliatory convictions are a real problem and security of tenure is at risk. If the government agrees with the proposals, there is a danger that Section 21 notices will be withdrawn and landlords will find it increasingly difficult to evict problem tenants.
The Role of the Tenant in Evictions
The RLA is concerned that the subject of retaliatory evictions is not as clear-cut as MPs would like to believe. As a result of a survey carried out on RLA members to find out the reasons why landlords evict tenants, as you might expect the most popular reason for evicting a tenant is because they haven’t paid their rent. But the next two most common reasons for evicting tenants are anti-social behaviour and property damage.
It is already hard enough to remove problem tenants who threaten neighbours/landlords and cause damage to properties. Removing Section 21 notices will only make the process of evicting problem tenants more difficult and could discourage would-be landlords from entering the buy to let market, which is bad news for tenants and bad news for the UK property market.
