Tenant Eviction Ban Ends: The Impact on Landlords

On 31^st May 2021 the government ended the tenant eviction ban that it brought in to protect vulnerable tenants during the coronavirus pandemic. This means bailiffs can now once again issue enforcement notices and carry out evictions.

Furthermore, the government has reduced the notice period for evictions from 6 months – an extended period that the government brought in during the pandemic – to 4 months.

The background

During the first lockdown in Spring 2020 the government introduced changes to the timeframe in which landlords can start eviction procedures as part of the Coronavirus Act 2020. This left landlords needing to give tenants 3 months’ notice rather than 2 months.

The government later increased this to 6 months before putting a stop to evictions altogether.

Now it’s all change as we’ve outlined, but that’s not all…

Notice periods for more serious cases can be less than 4 months. For example, if a tenant has over 4 months’ of rent arrears the notice period is just 4 weeks.

For cases of false statement or domestic abuse, notice is 2-4 weeks’. Anti-social behaviour requires 4 weeks’ notice.

Some other cases warrant less than the standard 4 months’ notice too.

What does the tenant fee ban ending mean for landlords?

The field is levelling out. Whilst the majority of tenants have been well protected, there’s a lot of landlords who have been struggling with their hands tied.

If you have a situation where you need your property back, perhaps for a sale, or you have a serious case regarding a tenant, the tenant eviction ban ending is clearly positive news. There’s a staggering £437m of bad debt in the lettings industry. The tenant eviction ban ending swings some power back to landlords.

It’s important to know your rights, what you can and can’t do, to keep up to date with the ever-changing legislation and then follow the correct processes.

It’s been a tough time for most over the past 12-18 months so it will help to see things from your tenant’s perspective too. There could be a mutually beneficial resolution before you resort to eviction as the situation around the pandemic improves.

Taking the positives and moving forward

There’s no doubt that the pandemic has provided a huge learning curve for many landlords, both inexperienced and experienced alike. We’ve not lived through this type of situation before and it’s fair to say that not many could have seen it coming!

However, as we’ve always said when it comes to property – you need to have a plan B and contingencies in place.

It’s been tough for landlords, and if that’s been your experience, remember: experience is what we win when we lose.

At E&M, we’ve been there and done it. As investors ourselves. As project managers. As builders. As HMO specialists. And as property management experts. We’ve been fortunate enough to come out of it stronger thanks to our experiences in all types of market. It’s fair to say that our landlord clients have seen huge benefit too.

Related article: Property Investing in Burnley

Talk to us about our property management services

When things get tough it’s important to have the right people by your side. We’re currently seeking new landlords that need our help. Both in terms of helping with any ongoing difficult cases where you need an intervention, and to help you avoid future issues and make sure your investments run smoothly.

Even if you want to go down the eviction route, there’s still a court backlog with priority offered only to the most severe cases. This is likely to continue for many months too. We can help.

To find out more, contact our lettings team on 01282 711560 or email lettings@eandmps.com. Alternatively, read more about us here.