A recent survey conducted by The National Landlords’ Association reveals that an “alarming number of private tenants are being told by their local council to ignore eviction notices served by their landlords”
The advice being given is to wait for bailiffs to turn up before moving out in order to qualify for rehousing support, according to new findings by the NLA* According to the research results from the NLA survey 49 per cent of those who’ve been served with a section 21 notice by their private landlord say they have been told to ignore it by their local council or the advice agencies such as Shelter or the Citizen’s Advice Bureau (CAB).
The NLA thinks the advice is increasingly being offered because councils are refusing to accept tenants’ housing applications before an order for possession has been granted by a Court. This action by councils is despite guidance from Central Government that confirms all housing applications should be accepted from the time notice is served on the tenant.
NLA Chairman Carolyn Uphill said:
“There is no justification for prolonging the stress and uncertainty brought by a possession case. Advice like this creates unnecessary strain on tenants, landlords, and the Courts Service, which must first hear the case and order possession before Councils are prepared to carry out their statutory duties.
“Nobody should ever be told to wait until the bailiffs turn up; it makes an already unpleasant situation much worse for everyone and creates a vicious cycle of misery and spiralling costs for all involved”.
Article courtesy of LandlordZONE
*NLA Quarterly Tenants Research Panel – Q4 2015 (950 respondents)
