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T Robin

Landlord

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Private landlord.

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Great, that helps clarify things, thank you. Wouldn't it be good if official guidance from was more clearly worded.

From: T Robin 09 July 2020 19:42 PM

Thanks Matthew. Yes, it was a second Q! I have heard other landlords say that tenanted properties can wait until April, it's only new tenants that require the EICR before that date. Quite confusing!

From: T Robin 09 July 2020 18:46 PM

Thanks Andrew. The letting agent insists we need one done now, of course.

From: T Robin 09 July 2020 18:24 PM

Can anyone advise whether under the new EICR rules, if an AST expired on 1 May and became a periodic statutory agreement, does an EICR need to be done now or can it wait until 1 Apr 2021? All advice seems to refer to 'new tenancies' - are they defined as new tenants? Do they include existing tenants who renew for another 12 months? Thanks.

From: T Robin 09 July 2020 17:41 PM

Thanks for the replies. I think being more selective is definitely the way to go in future. Joe Mellow, thanks for the advice; when you say charge a higher bond, what do you mean? I suspect the tenants don't expect me to pursue with an eviction. I'm sure a letter from solicitors will change that (that's if my solicitor thinks I have a chance of success, I suppose). Recently, the tenant has agreed to my suggestion of paying a small amount extra on top of the monthly rent, and I'll be asking them whether they'll pay more once their business is back up, with aim of clearing the outstanding rent sooner rather than later. I think that's reasonable in the circumstances. But I don't expect a favourable response to that!

From: T Robin 05 July 2020 22:10 PM

Thanks for your replies. If the tenants had actually let us know their rent would be late back in November, we would have been willing to negotiate...but as it was they initially didn't reply to our letting agents for months. At this point we served the Section 21 notice, as it was clear that the tenants didn't intend to negotiate. Now we are a few weeks from the expiry of the 3 months notice period of the notice. I've politely mentioned to the tenants that it might be better for them if they moved to a cheaper place if they couldn't afford the rent (it's what I would do). The tenant said they won't move. With the ban on evictions extended to August now, I'm wondering how this will pan out. Now they're on a statutory periodic tenancy and the situation has affected the level of insurance on the property. I'm actually terrified of the eviction process (will it affect future rentability, our success in re-mortgaging, insurance premiums, will they trash the house, etc.), but I appreciate that it is probably the only way to get them out. The tenants have paid a part of their arrears but are still a few months behind. I suppose a more 'forbearing' option would be to wait for them to repay the outstanding rent. But no one knows whether their financial situation will allow that, or whether they will even repay it if it did. And are Section 21 notices valid for 6 months? What happens after that, we're back at square one?

From: T Robin 18 June 2020 22:11 PM

I'm a private landlord whose tenant was already consistently late with rent for several months before the start of the covid-19 lockdown in March. They kept breaking promises to the LA and ignoring their calls (I tried to enquire via the LA about their problems to see if we could come to an arrangement). I'd had enough by April, so as soon as I could serve them a Section21 (and after many phone calls with the LA and RGI insurers to understand my options and what's legal in the unusual circumstances), I did. Only after that did they start claiming that covid-19 had reduced their income. Although I don't want to have to evict them, especially at this time, I can't see any other options (and I'm only just able to pay the mortgage on the property). One legal rep advised me to serve a Section8 simultaneously, which I thought was excessive. Interestingly, the tenant has this week claimed to have paid a month's rent, which I await with bated breath. Unfortunately for me (fortunately for the tenant?!), their financial problems that started way before covid-19 have got us caught up in the new legislation, so they can stay (and rack up more unpaid rent probably) for a while longer. Can anyone advise whether if the tenant, by some miracle, gets up to date with the rent before the Section21 date, can I still give the go-ahead for gaining possession as planned? Thanks.

From: T Robin 08 May 2020 20:33 PM

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