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Council interventions can stop evictions and help landlords - claim

A local council which is inviting some 300 landlords to a virtual summit in the near future says it’s helped a number of landlords resolve disputes with tenants - and so avoiding evictions. 

Ashford council in Kent has issued a statement saying it "has been working tirelessly” to try to avoid “a flood of people made homeless” as a result of the end of the bailiff-enforced eviction ban, which finally finishes this weekend.

“Ashford’s housing team first reached out to all local landlords and agents at the beginning of the pandemic, with advice on negotiating rent arrears and what to do if customers are struggling to pay the landlord” says the statement.

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Sharon Williams, head of housing at the authority, says: “Our officers have engaged with dozens of landlords and agents, explaining the range of support that is available from us when problems arise.

“But there are many more private sector landlords in the borough we have yet to reach and I would urge them to speak to us if they think they have a problem with a tenant that may lead to eviction.”

It’s holding the seminar online for local landlords on June 8 - the event is being organised along with the National Residential Landlords Association.

 

 

A case study cited by the council, to demonstrate the effectiveness of its interventions between landlords and tenants, states that: “We were contacted by a landlord regarding a tenant who was in serious rent arrears. The tenant had previously been working but had lost their job. He did not want assistance, hoping to find a new job and get back on track. 

“Despite his best efforts, the arrears continued and our accommodation officer spoke with the tenant and offered support but again the tenant was convinced he would shortly clear the arrears and felt any assistance was not for him and would feel a failure in his responsibilities if he accepted help. 

“After a several months of phone calls and emails [Ashford council] eventually was able to make tenant understand that this assistance is for everybody, and made him realise that help will take the pressure off for them to focus on finding a job without the pressure of potentially being evicted. Was given permission by tenant to send all his information through to the welfare intervention team who assisted with making a universal credit claim and discretionary housing payment to clear the arrears. 

“In February 2021 we were told by the estate agent that the tenant was overjoyed, he had been at his wits end and thankful for the support he'd received from the landlord, estate agent and the council.”

Want to comment on this story? If so...if any post is considered to victimise, harass, degrade or intimidate an individual or group of individuals on any basis, then the post may be deleted and the individual immediately banned from posting in future.

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    No surprise here, they have just woken up to the fact that council housing departments are going to have a big problem coming their way.

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    Yep. They only care now that it's their problem. I feel sorry for the people who have fallen on hard times and need to be evicted but the local council can swivel.

     
  • girish mehta

    After fleecing landlords , with new regulations fines. And supporting and encouraging tenants to not pay rent , making landlords wait for over or more. The government and councils have made life difficult through legislation delays and fines.
    Now they need landlords to help them to stop these no paying tenants .

    Theodor Cable

    So...Will they take over the debts?

     
    Theodor Cable

    Sombody has to pay and really it must be the people who have not paid their debts.
    Why should it be landlords or the tax payer?

    In my view. The drbtor has 100% liability.

     
    Theodor Cable

    Great comment. And correct.

     
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    Additional regulations, fines and the attitude of the government and local authorities towards landlords have led to homelessness. Councils should now engage with generation rent and shelter to provide tenants with housing.

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    As many have alluded to for months, even years now; consistent and continuous interference in the private rental sector from the agenda motivated and timid government will turn a housing problem into a housing disaster.
    They were warned by those with decades of experience in the industry that, rather than spew hate filled jealousy and kowtow to the woke agenda, they should work alongside landlords to create more secure foundations for tenants. 99.9% of landlords are fair minded professionals that have been unfairly and wrongly demonised.
    Had the aforementioned done their homework and not just shot from the hip, they will have learned that "no fault" evictions via S21 for good Tenants are a myth. In reality S21 allowed Tenants to get away with debt and destruction without penalty, simply because of a Landlord's wish to be pragmatic and act with speed.
    Sadly, the abolition of S21 will see many of the most vulnerable in society dragged through the Courts and pursued to the nth degree for recompense, with no chance of being housed again in the PRS.
    Most landlords will still be happy to offer an olive branch, given a more inclusive and less hostile/bullying attitude towards them.
    Others will say....this looming housing crisis is on you...

  • PossessionFriendUK PossessionFriend

    So the financial ( Licensing and Civil Penalty grabbing ) bullies are turning to their victims for help -
    yeah, jog-on.

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    One of my council Sandwell MBC have introduced a similar scheme to Ashford entitled, call before you serve where they will mediate on behalf of the landlord with a defaulting tenant. I have only had to refer one case to them all the defaulting tenant's when I have told them I will be involving the council have either left or paid up . I was completely surprised at the power that the threat of involving the council had on the tenant as the defaulting tenants have either left or paid their rent arrears.

    With the one tenants I referred to the council they amazingly rehoused her even though she was in substantial arrears and created enormous problems in the HMO.

    The threat of referring the tenants to the council has been so successful that I've done it in other council areas where I doubt the council will get involved and it's had similar effects.

    I appreciate that the reason the councils are being so helpful is that they have been forced by government to take a more proactive role in preventing evictions. I am under no illusion that many in the council are our enemy, they are politically anti private landlords and often motivated by malice but I think landlords will be stupid not to take advantage of the assistance offered especially where it saves the cost of having to evict tenants.
    Jim Haliburton the HMO landlord

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    Fair enough but as ‘ girlish’ said its the Council that caused all the problems in the first place.
    Endless cost & damage to the property by excluding & taking control away from LL putting us on back foot and having to put up with all kinds of nonsense.
    No surprise Tenant moved on or paid up when mention of Council involvement, something to hide big time don’t want them having a closer look, if they investigated them the way they investigate us there might not be a shortage of housing.

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    I'm not sure where you get your figures from Michael as far as I know the number of private landlords has increased along with the size of the private sector. II agree that some councils have acted deplorably against private landlords I have suffered terriblybut where is the evidence this has caused any significant reduction in landlords?

    If you are correct then if supply is reduce then this has led to an increase in price its basic economics low supply higher demand high prices high supply low demand low prices. If you are right Michael then send your local council a crate of wine to thank them for making you rich.

    For what it's worth the reason I believe we do not have sufficient housing is planning and the Greenbelt policy we can build enough Nightingale hospitals and the Second World War tanks and planes we could do the same with housing. There is no shortage of land only 2 1/2% of the UK is built on
    Jim Haliburton the HMO daddy

     
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    Never ever ever trust the thieving snivelling Council, only interested in stealing Council Tax off us Professional LLs.
    Even when one of their " clients" has built up arrears and they pled not to evict them yet finally rehouse leaving my property wrecked with drug paraphernalia, dog excrement, tenant garbage and rubbish, smashed windows, smashed doors, dumped Gas bottles. Taking a couple of months and several thousands to refurbishe, this thieving snivelling Council want their Full Council tax, not prepared to offer forwarding address of the lowlifes, one illigal, so i can send them the bill. No Councils will never ever get my support. Our one is more interested in closing public open spaces so Brent Geese can land for a year, Not one did, even with the help of a dozen plastic ducks and a tape of ducks quaking, ( you can't make this rubbish up) they also closed off road for cyclists to use, none did. Liberal bunch of dins.

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    Jim dearest, there is no shortage of housing there is a glut where are the people living now. Building thousands of high rise unsuitable Flats clearly not required like 55 stories high just a mile from Grenfell 24 Story that the couldn’t cope with & killed 72, rip. Their answer build Twin Towers twice as high, is this the calibre of the Council laying down laws for us. I know there are long Council waiting maybe 13’000 in London or half a million nation wide. That doesn’t mean there’s a shortage of housing, that’s the free-be list or subsidised waiting list, plenty of property if people want to pay but they are not silly its the system is totally wrong. Just like we have been wronged imagine you buy a Freehold property very difficult to achieve we know that, right so its your or is it ?, yet a blank stranger off the street who by all accounts is supposed to be a temporary occupant have more rights than the owner after all his input & hard work, this is not a business plan its a mockery.

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