Our tenants have done a runner!!!!!!!!!!

itsnotfair_2

To any tennants, a landlord can begin proceedings to take possession of his property when they fall a full 2 months behind with rent. This can now be done online in a so called fast track system.

Smiley_Mum

black-saturn wrote:

A HA is almost like having a house of your own though. You almost know it's yours for however long you want it and you will only be evicted if your about 6 months behind in rent. It's almost like having a council house. A private LL is another matter.

I realise that, just impressing upon the fact that I'd respect someone else's property and look after it well, no matter who it belonged to, LA/HA/private LL etc.

lynzpower

Who is saying that the OPs tenants Were not looking after it as their own. A quick look at how clean is your house shows plenty of people living in squalor whether they "own" the property or rent.

If I want to live surrounded by bin bags ( I dont btw ) in a rented or mortgaged property to a certain extent its my prerogative, as long as a) it does not constitute a public health hazard & environmental health are called in. and the property is returned to the LL at end of tenency in good state.

fishpond

Sounds to me like they are already in breach of contract by not paying the rent on the due day.

libitina_2

fishpond wrote:

Sounds to me like they are already in breach of contract by not paying the rent on the due day.

But you'd still have to take them to court for eviction despite this...

realwildone

This is the world of btl. See what price Ladbrokes would give you for it not happening again.

Seems to me you got off lightly. I have friends whose houses have been trashed. And I mean trashed.

black-saturn

libitina wrote:

But you'd still have to take them to court for eviction despite this...

Correct. Even if they don't turn up you still need to go through the proceadure.

whambamboo

black-saturn wrote:

Correct. Even if they don't turn up you still need to go through the proceadure.

can you insure against this kind of thing?

What is the cost of that insurance, and do the BTLers factor it into their net profit calculations?

Sparky67

Landlord and tenant law is a balancing act between the rights of landlords and the rights of tenants. There are some sh*t tenants out there, but there are also some very good ones, and the same goes for landlords. Unfortunately when one individual falls on the "wrong" side of what seems fair, it seems like the law is weighted in the other's favour.

There are huge penalties for an illegal eviction, and previous posters are right in that you MUST ensure the property is abandoned before taking possession (ie excluding the occupiers). If they've rented it for 6 months, there's no stipulation that they have to be resident in it 24/7.... they could have abandoned it (and probably have) but, what if they did decide to come back and found they were locked out by the landlord who had disposed of all their possessions??

The law must protect both sides, and when you are the landlord who has been shafted, it seems harsh, but what if you were a tenant who had (say) been admitted to hospital for treatment for an illness for 6 weeks, and when you came out your landlord had locked you out your house and got rid of all your stuff?? It happens.

You must put notices up on the property's entrance/exits asking the tenant to contact you, I think for at least 7 days. Have you made enquiries with the neighbours? As long as you can show you have made reasonable attempts to locate the tenant/ensure the property was abandoned, then you should be ok if you take possession.

black-saturn

But I thought they couldnt take possession until an eviction order had been placed?