News
Third of UK landlords have property abandoned
Monday 8th August 2016
Over one third of UK landlords have experienced a tenant abandoning their property, according to the latest research conducted by the National Landlords Association. Abandonment occurs when a tenant moves out of a property before the tenancy has ended, without informing their landlord. This can result in a very costly inconvenience to the landlord as legally, the tenant still has rights to the property and if they choose to return and take up residency then, they are within their rights.
In order for landlords to regain possession of their property, they must go through the legal process which can take months - resulting in costly legal fees as well as loss of earnings. The research has been released as the Housing and Planning Act, which includes measures to address the problem, recently received Royal Ascent.
The Act contains proposals to allow local councils to keep hold of the proceeds they make when carrying out landlord prosecutions as well as introducing stiffer civil penalties and banning orders for landlords found breaking the law.