As a landlord, you may want to repossess your property for a number of reasons. It may be that the tenant is not paying their rent or not keeping the property in a good condition, or it may simply be that the tenancy agreement is coming to an end and you don’t want to renew.
Whatever the reason to reposess your property, you must always follow the correct process and cannot simply force a tenant to leave (forcing a tenant out of the property without a court order is actually a criminal offence).
The eviction process can be complicated and specific procedures must be followed.
This is even more so since the Deregulation Act 2015 came into force, introducing yet further requirements which must be met.
These requirements include, but are not limited to ensuring
- that the prescribed form of notice is used
- that the notice is properly served
- the deposit has been protected in one of the recognised schemes, within the relevant period, and that the prescribed information has been given to the tenant
- the correct notice period is given depending on the notice which is used
- any section 21 notice is not served within four months of the start of tenancy
- any section 8 notice contains all the necessary facts to support whichever grounds are relied upon.
If any of these requirements are not met, your claim may be thrown out by the court. You will then have to start the whole process again, often at significant cost and delay.
Our experience means we can give you comprehensive advice and assistance from the outset, helping you recover possession of your property as quickly and efficiently as possible.