Changes to the mandatory right to rent checks which were introduced in response to the COVID-19 pandemic will end on 20/06/2021, extended from 16/05/2021. The extension is intended to give landlords more time to adjust. Pre-Pandemic Position Prior to the pandemic, a landlord had to meet all prospective tenants in person and check original documents […]

The government has finally announced the private rental sector exit plan out of the lockdown restrictions. Notice Periods As part of a phased approach, those notice periods which are currently extended to six months will be reduced to four months from 01/06/2021. Notice periods for the most serious cases are amended from 01/06/2021 as follows: […]

The Debt Respite Scheme (Breathing Space Moratorium and Mental Health Crisis Moratorium) (England and Wales) Regulations 2020 (the ‘Regulations’) are now in force. They give someone in problem debt legal protections from their creditors. The Regulations will apply where tenants owe arrears of rent to their landlords… So, what is a ‘breathing space’? There are […]

Changes to the mandatory right to rent checks which were introduced in response to the COVID-19 pandemic will end on 16/05/2021. Pre-Pandemic Position Prior to the pandemic, a landlord had to meet all prospective tenants in person and check original documents from a specific set listed by the Government. If the landlord was satisfied as […]

Now that we have a roadmap out of national lockdown, the Government “should set out how it intends for the sector to transition out of the pandemic… to publish a proper exit plan for the private rented sector from national and local restrictions” says the Housing Communities and Local Government Committee*. The current restrictions are in force until 31/05/2021 […]

The government has now published guidance linked to its housing possession mediation pilot: click here. The pilot was introduced in February 2021 and its aim is to encourage the sustainment of tenancies and to manage court capacity after the nationwide eviction ban comes to an end (expected to be in early June 2021). The pilot […]

  From today, mandatory electrical safety checks will be required for all tenancies and licences to occupy: both new tenancies and now all existing ones. In basic terms, an Electrical Installation Condition Report (‘EICR’) will need to be issued by an electrician after carrying out an inspection and either declare the tenanted property safe or […]

  On 10th March 2021, the government announced that the extension to notice periods and restrictions on repossessions have been further extended to 31st May 2021. This means that: 1. Six months’ notice will continue to need to be given to tenants before possession proceedings can be started, except where there: a) Is anti-social behaviour. […]