Calls to stop landlords receiving rent from anti-social tenants

Published: 26/06/2013

The Local Government Association (LGA) is calling for the right to ban landlords from collecting rent if they fail to deal with anti-social tenants.

Presenting its argument during Parliament’s examination of the Anti-Social Behaviour Crime and Policing Bill, the LGA wants councils in England and Wales to adopt a similar process to those in Scotland.

Under the Anti-Social Behaviour (Scotland) Act 2004, private landlords have to be registered with their local council. As a result councils have the power to instruct landlords to deal with any anti-social behaviour by their tenants, preventing the collection of rent if this obligation is ignored.

Rob Denman, Head of GW LET, however is concerned that under such a scheme landlords could be the ones to lose out:

“It is not an easy task to deal with anti-social tenants. The courts for example, should the case go that far, often require significant evidence to evict the tenant on the grounds of anti-social behaviour and issues such as excessive noise can be incredibly subjective.

“As a result landlords could find themselves without an incoming rent while the case is under review and therefore be left out of pocket.”

Under current law, landlords are responsible for their tenants and any complaints made about them. Failure to address the issue could result in a fine as was the case of an Irish based landlord who was fined €30,000 after his tenants regularly subjected the neighbours to loud parties.

GW LET can help minimise this financial risk and assist with the eviction of tenants who breach their tenancy agreement.

Content correct at time of publication