A lack of eviction options following the future abolition to Section 21 orders remain a worry for landlords, according to insight from Intus Lettings.
500 British landlords were questioned about the 2019 Renters’ Reform Bill, which proposes the abolishment of Section 21 notices – used by many landlords as a way to evict tenants. Landlords will still be able to use a Section 8 notice to evict tenants if they have broken the terms of the tenancy.
While only 18 per cent of landlords surveyed said they outright opposed the abolition of Section 21 orders, many raised concerns about the best ways to protect themselves and their properties in future, dubbing the proposals ‘craziness’, ‘absurd’ and ‘the worst thing that could happen to landlords’.
And, while a number felt that ‘no fault’ evictions are morally wrong, the fear remains that landlords will be trapped without options if tenants don’t pay rent.
X from Intus Lettings said: “Landlords’ key worry is that they will be left powerless to regain control of their properties in the event of a non-paying or poorly behaved tenant. They want to retain ultimate control of their own property and are concerned that the Renters’ Reform Bill will make this harder.
“We understand these concerns however, at Intus Lettings we don’t believe that the Bill needs to create a panic for landlords. Experience tells us that the key to successful tenancy agreements lies in thorough vetting of tenants and using a quality agent to manage the rental process and we found that almost half of landlords we spoke to used an agent to manage their lettings.
“With over 2.6million private landlords in the UK, the property lettings sector is large and the Government will need to properly listen to their voices as it finalises its proposals.”
An outline of the Bill’s proposals is set to be released in Autumn 2021.
