Councils advise tenants facing eviction to stay put

Landlords face legal bills running into hundreds of pounds after councils issued shock advice to tenants facing eviction.

Landlords face using courts to regain possession of properties after sitting tenants are advised to stay put until bailiffs arrive to evict them

In response to Britain’s housing crisis, local authorities are advising tenants to stay put when landlords ask them to quit the property.

According to a post on the Mumsnet website, tenants who approach councils for help with housing are being told they cannot get local authority assistance unless they are homeless, and so should stay in privately rented properties until they are forced out by bailiffs.

The landlord, who let out their home before moving overseas for a period, said: “We just got a call this morning from the letting agents saying that our tenants have advised them that they can not find another property in their price range and the council is telling them to stay put. What?”

Residential Landlords Association chairman Alan Ward explains that home owners wanting to evict sitting tenants need to serve notice using a Section 21 form.

If the fixed term in the contract has come to an end, the tenant has two months to find a new place to live.

If the tenant has been unable to find a new home after two months, the landlord can apply to a court for eviction. The cost is £280.

It can then take six to eight weeks for the judge to grant a possession order. If the tenant refuses to leave, bailiffs can be called. That typically costs another £110, according to the Residential Landlords Association.

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The Telegraph