Renters’ Rights Act: My tenant owes £15,000 in rent, but I can’t get them out of the property
The new law – which is the biggest overhaul of the private rented sector in a generation – aims to give renters more security and includes a ban on “no fault evictions” and limits to rent increases.
Rongmala says financial problems resulting from her lost rental income are causing her depression. “My children are helping me for everything, but I don’t want that,” she says.
Since her tenant stopped paying rent, she has had to pay £2,500 for boiler repairs as well as service charges on the estate and a mortgage on the property.
Although a judge awarded a court order for Rongmala to take possession of the property, only court-appointed bailiffs can remove a tenant. The family has been told this could take up to 11 months.
Rongmala’s son, Marouf, says the toll it is taking on his mum is “heartbreaking” and adds that she’s “helpless” navigating a clogged-up court system.
Groups representing landlords say property owners like Rongmala will become increasingly reliant on the courts to handle repossession claims once the new law comes into force, and warn the government has not done enough to relieve pressure on the system.
