The thought of having to evict a tenant is enough to make any landlords blood run cold, after all, even the most seamless eviction can be a tense experience
And it’s no surprise that landlords are so keen to avoid this situation, with recent research from studenttenant.com revealing that the average eviction can not only take a whopping nine months to complete, but costs on average an eye-watering £2,000!
The research broke the cost, and time scale down:
Serve a section 21 notice – £120
The research highlighted that whilst many landlords are happy to serve a Section 21 notice, they are finding more and more that housing charities and local councils are encouraging tenants to remain in the property once they have received the notice.
Property possession order – £685
If this is the case, the next step would be to apply to court for a possession order – frustratingly this can cost the landlord again in both time and money. The process can take between four and six months, depending on the court.
High-court bailiff – £1,176
When the court has granted a possession order, a date (four to six weeks away) will be set for the tenant to leave the property. Once this date is set, the ladnlrods will require the services of a court bailiff to formally evict the tenant.
This entire process would cost the landlord £1,981, and around nine months to remove the tenant from the property.
In addition, it is possible that during this time there may be mounting rent arrears, which compound the pricey problem.
We really do need reform in the rental sector to protect landlords’ rights when it comes to evicting tenants. Local councils are encouraging tenants to stay in the property until the eviction date – usually months into the future – so they are eligible for emergency housing. Tenants can only apply for it once they have been legally evicted, and if they leave any earlier, they are choosing to become homeless and cannot receive any support. Landlords and tenants are being really let down by the regulations in the sector. When it comes to removing non-paying tenants, the Government needs to make changes to make it quicker to remove a tenant in this kind of situation. There also needs to be more support for tenants who are being evicted through no fault of their own. They should be supported in finding a new property, to prevent them from having to stay until they are literally forced out.
Danielle Cullen, Managing Director of StudentTenant
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