‘Councils Licensing schemes could prevent landlords from evicting tenants’
A leading property solicitor says there are “secret dangers” to landlords and their letting agents when it comes to selective licensing systems introduced by several councils across the UK.
Writing in the property magazine Estate Gazette, Joanne Mills – a solicitor at law practice Irwin Mitchell – says many landlords are inadvertently flouting local council selective licensing regimes because there is relatively little publicity given to the rules, and because the precise regulations vary from council to council.
She says there are particular problems if a landlord who – unwittingly – has not secured the licence that is required, then goes on to issue a Section 21 eviction notice which may then be questioned because of the absence of a licence.
“This makes it difficult for a landlord to physically regain possession of a property, which may be required for genuine reasons. A landlord may end up having to retrospectively apply for a licence, delaying possession by months” she writes.
“Whether a landlord would be liable for a fine in such circumstances remains to be seen” she adds.
Mills warns that with so little information made available about many council selective licensing schemes, and an absence of a central register, landlords can easily fall foul of the law.
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When you let your property on our ‘Guaranteed Rent’ Scheme either our local authority clients will assume full legal and financial responsibility for the eviction of your tenants or we will, depending on the nature of the letting of your property – consequently you can be assured that you will not incur any legal eviction costs at all when letting your property to us and, furthermore, you can also be assured that you will continue to receive full monthly rental payments from us until vacant possession of your property has been lawfully obtained!
If you are interested in finding our more about our ‘Guaranteed Rent’ Scheme, currently operating in north, east & west London, please call us today on 020 8447 1222.
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