AIBU to worry about Section 21 ending causing mass evictions?

[Itsabingthin]

Has anyone noticed mass evictions happening due to the section 21 ending? In may the new law will make it harder for landlords to evict tenants so a lot are evicting tenants now, even good ones.

My friend got a surprise eviction notice yesterday and she is in temporary housing as it is. The neighbours opposite me are also getting evicted. These are no fault evictions.

Where will all these families go?

But it isn’t harder. It’s easier to evict bad tenants under the new law.

I still haven’t read a single post from anyone explaining how the new rules are detrimental to good landlords. Tenants who break rules or don’t pay will be EASIER to evict. Because the no fault evictions are ending there’ll be much fewer evictions, freeing up the courts to act faster. Yes there are a lot of rules that can incur fines, but if someone is incapable of issuing a couple of documents to a tenant they have no business renting in the first place. Also the argument about it no longer being profitable. Why? Because rents have to be fair?

I think this is scaremongering. The decent landlords should be embracing the changes.

Yes, I am in my 60s and when I was considering buying a property in the 1990s, my dad always said, don't buy a leasehold. I couldn't understand why because everyone was buying flats, but know I see.

It is a lot harder because now you have to go to court for everything.

Previously, you could issue a S21 and as long as you had all the paperwork (which is not as easy as you think because a simple typo can invalidate the paperwork) then you did not have to go to court.

The courts are bunged up already so after May if your tenant stops paying rent it could take you years to evict them.

Yes but tbf, the march against landlords started under the Tories. So both parties are implicated in messing up the rental market. Greens want to abolish private landlords altogether.

Along with the thousands of renters who have complained (sometimes reasonably and sometimes fanatically) and campaigned for these laws.

But loads of S21s do end up going to court, because local authorities required tenants to stay put until evicted, which still required a court order.

With the new system, yes, I have to get the court order, which is extra faff, but then I've got it, the leaving date is set in stone and can be enforced if needed on that date, no messing around hoping the tenant goes, then they don't, getting an order etc..

As a landlord I have no objection to the new system, it seems entirely fair to both parties to me, I certainly am not panicking into selling up.

But that’s just not true. A section 21 still has to be legally enforced. If you have problem tenants the chances of them leaving rather than waiting to go to court are minimal
anyway, there’s absolutely no penalty on tenants who refuse to leave until they’re evicted by the courts.

Edited to say - I’m not trying to be argumentative for the sake of it. I genuinely don’t understand the concerns.

I doubt it’s a fuck up, I have always thought that it’s being done intentionally to remove small landlords from the market so the big corporations own everything.

You are absolutely correct, section 21 was a gamble, you issued it, but the tenant could ignore it, months could go by during the process that ultimately ended up in court.

Under the new system there is a slightly longer notice period, but the leaving date will be enforceable in every case, bailiffs can be there on the day and the landlord gets his place back, every time, no hassle.

But why would Labour want this?

My parents are landlords - two properties, long term tenants in one house, couple of years in the other. Houses are well maintained, rent is reasonable, tenants left alone. Been doing it approx 20 years. Only one bad tenant in all that time, but it cost them thousands (guy did a flit leaving all his stuff and two months unpaid rent, they had to leave the property empty for a period of time in case he returned, then pay to move all his stuff out and store it for another period of time).

They are in their 70s now and my dad has had enough. The new regulations have tipped him over the edge and he's given notice that the properties are being sold. The newer tenant had plans to relocate anyway but the older tenant will be really impacted and isn't in a position to buy.

The government has been short-sighted with this. Not everyone can buy their own home, renters rely on a stock of housing available to rent, that stock has gradually been reducing and this will hasten that decline. But there aren't any plans to increase that stock so rents will get pushed up, more people will need LA support.

They would have to be over 3 months rent behind before a section 8 was issued then courts take up to 6 months before they can actually be evicted so potentially 9 months rent owing.

That's true, but if you are in the landlord business, which I am, you have to be able to ride out these situations. Many landlords insurance policies cover rent for these scenarios, so you shouldn't be out of pocket.

You can get tenants who are just spiteful.
I had a young female who made complaints every day - spurious maintenance issues.
One time she told me there were mice in the house and when I went there to put down poison, the other tenants told me to go home as there were no mice. They must have known what she was like too.
I can remember that at that time, I had a power flush and the chap who did it had left the valve for the kitchen radiator closed, so it didn’t heat up. I opened the valve using a wrench in front of this young lady, and felt the radiator heat up. However, the next day she summoned me back round there, saying the radiator wasn’t working. The valve had been turned closed again, and it could only have been done using a wrench, as there was no thermostatic control on it. She was the only person who had seen me open the valve with a wrench, so it must have been her who closed it.
While she was a tenant I also had to replace an integrated gas oven and hobs set, because all the knobs that you turn suddenly became stuck fast. At the time, I didn’t really query it, but now I think she superglued the knobs.
When you have this every day, it becomes very wearing. I think she sent me 45 maintenance complaints over two months.
Also, invariably, if you, as the landlord don’t like a tenant, you can bet the other tenants can’t stand them as they have to share a house with them.

It won't be easier to evict a bad tenant. If a tenant is up to a pound under 3 months rent in arrears you can't evict under new laws. They have to be over 3 months in arrears before a section 8 can be given. Under old laws many tenants who owed rent were not given section 8 but simply given a section 21 which was quicker as didn't have to wait until souch arrears built up.

There will be a real lack of rental properties. Can't imagine where everyone is going to live.

Tbf it’s in keeping with other policies, targeting family farms, small businesses and landlords. It’s not really on the side of small scale ownership.

I’m in Scotland -after issuing notice to quit which can take months , the tenant can then go to court which will take months to come up , meanwhile you are maintaining g a house for an unhappy tenant.

As I say, I understand problem tenants, but my question was about the new rules and why everyone is selling up because of those specifically.

The only reason it's hard to 'qualify' for social housing is the desperate shortage. It was always supposed to be an option for all.

Having walked past their massive office many times, I often wonder if they really need to be in such a prime location as it must cost a lot to run.

originfurniture.com/projects/shelter-hq/

From what I just googled (not an expert, do your own research):

No cash up front anymore. So tenants with CCJs etc will not be able to offer up front to mitigate their higher risk profile.

Tenants do not have to accept any rent increases and can always refer the increase to a tribunal for review (there’s a small cost to do this, I think, and financial assistance if tenant can’t pay). While waiting for a review, the rent remains the same. The review can find the rent should stay the same or even be lowered. The tenant can do it every year/increase.

It’s currently an average of 27 weeks for a landlord to regain possession of a property. I skim read this https://www.landlordzone.co.uk/news/how-will-you-evict-a-tenant-when-the-righters-rights-act-is-in-force and it doesn’t make clear to
me how that new process would make it easier or faster. Happy to hear otherwise though.

You can see how just these changes might make landlords cagey, especially if they’re getting older and thinking of an easier life.

I don’t get why anyone would willingly do this to themselves.

Long term stability for decades and beyond, at the expense of limited issues for a few months

Many renters including loads of children are being made homeless in the coming months. They'll be stuck in temporary accommodation for ages.

Major issues and long term instability.

There's not enough social housing and that was known by everybody so I've no idea why anyone is celebrating the changes.

The only thing I can think of that could've avoided the upcoming homeless surge would've been if the new laws had been effective immediately. Or even if everything wasn't effective immediately, at the very least effective immediately that any landlords wanting to sell before the new laws, had to sell with existing tenants in situ.

Family farms - the IHT agricultural land exemption was the biggest known way of unscrupulous people avoiding IHT. Labour HAD to take action. Shame they did it in such a cack handed fashion that actual farmers suffered. Of the £40bn tax evaded last year, £26bn was small businesses. HMRC’s eyes need to be on them. And when it comes to landlords, these policies seem to have been driven by MPs who have no ability to think through the consequences of their actions whatsoever. Target landlords with vast levels of regulations and they’re going to leave the market and renters are going to suffer. It’s not rocket science!

I’m not sure it’s fair to FORCE landlords to se with tenants in situ though. If you did this why would anyone invest any money in any form of business in the UK, when the government is prone to making laws at the drop of a hat which massively damage your investment. You would invest elsewhere.

This is exactly what will happen. No landlord wants to be left with a dodgy tenant.