Landlord
At Bluestone Properties, we know many landlords in the Tooting area face significant challenges right now. We are here to help you manage your rental property, keep tenants happy, and stay on top of your finances.
During challenging times, it is best to stick to the fundamentals. All landlords should look to minimise their risks at this time, and we can help. We know the local market well in and around Tooting, and we stay in touch with advice from the leading industry bodies.
Follow golden rules to sustain tenancies and minimise disputes
The National Residential Landlords Association, provided the Golden Rules to help sustain the tenancies in the rental housing market.
The Golden Rules for dealing with tenant disputes, as created by the NRLA, are as follows:
1. Communicate
If rent cannot be paid in part or full, tenants and landlords should discuss the situation as soon as reasonably possible. At the earliest opportunity, landlords should be flexible and should have open conversation with their tenants to allow both parties to agree a sensible way forward. It is important that landlords try to understand:
- the cause of the arrears;
- whether the tenant, their dependents, or other occupiers have been affected by the coronavirus and its impact on them for their ability to pay rent;
- the tenant’s general financial situation; and
- if there is available an option for payment plan to repay arrears.
2. Establish
If the tenant is under the vulnerable category, the local authority housing options team can provide support and give advice.
3. Signpost
Landlords should inform and point the tenant to organisations that could provide support or advice on benefit entitlement and debt management. The local council in your area can help you and advice, including funding to help pay your rent, called discretionary housing payments (DHP).
Here are the contact numbers to contact:
Citizens Advice – 0344 411 1444 ·
Shelter – 0808 800 4444
4. Agree
Seek to agree an affordable payment plan, based on the tenant’s circumstances, where this information has been shared. There are available guidance from NLRA for landlords and tenants on how to to manage well the conversations about arrears.
5. Be clear
Clear rent statements should be provided by the landlords for 3-month periods (or 13-week periods, if rent is paid weekly), showing any temporary reductions in rent or deferred payments.
The NRLA provides guidance including templates for agreeing such reductions.
6. Consent
Explore to seek consent for the payment of any housing element to the landlord where the tenant is claiming benefits. As a last resort, as a landlord, you can request reduction in arrears repayment. But neither you nor the tenant can specify how much amount should be deducted as they are automatically calculated. You can find out more by contacting the Universal Credit Helpline.
7. Guarantors
If there is a guarantor, you may actively involve the guarantor in discussions with tenants regarding rental payment. Bear in mind that the financial situation of guarantors may also have been affected.
8. Mediate
If you cannot agree, an independent mediator may help in resolving your differences without the time/cost of taking the case to court.
9. Record
The copies of all the documentation and all the contact with the tenant should be kept. If there are necessary proceedings in court, the information should be provided.
Ben Beadle is the Chief Executive of the National Residential Landlords Association, and he said; “Despite the courts opening up again, it does not mean that repossessions are an inevitable consequence where tenants and landlords have struggled due to COVID-19. The Golden Rules published today provide all the advice needed to sustain tenancies - but it is incumbent on both parties to speak to each other.”
Ben also said; “We welcome the framework developed by the Government to ensure courts can begin to hear possession cases again. In such challenging times they broadly strike the right balance between protecting tenants affected by COVID and the need for landlords to tackle the most severe cases including anti-social tenants and cases of extreme rent arrears.”
Ben concluded by saying; “That said we remain concerned that the expectation for landlords, the majority of whom are not property tycoons, is to go without rent for anything up to a year before such cases are deemed a priority. Such a position is not sustainable, especially as there is almost no chance of the rent arrears being recouped. We will continue to raise the difficulties that this will cause.”
BLUESTONE PROPERTIES
We offer a range of letting services to landlords in south London, including tailored options which ensure you receive the best support at all times. If you would like to arrange an appointment to help you negotiate the local buy-to-let market, please contact Bluestone Properties today by calling us on 0208 355 3405 or emailing us at info@bluestoneproperties.co.uk.
