The private rented sector in the United Kingdom is thriving, however, with the increase in popularity, there are unfortunate evictions. A survey recently undertaken by the Residential Landlords Association shows that just over 55% of all landlords in the UK have, at some time, had to evict a tenant or tenants from their properties. Out of the 55% whoâve had to do this unpleasant act, 90% said they have had to evict a tenant due to rent not being paid and 43% said theyâve had to evict a tenant because of bad behavior. This usually means damage to the property has been done or the tenants have had anti social behavior complaints from neighbours and local residents. We contacted a letting agency, The Lettings Shop, and asked them why the survey might have been commissioned. We found out that it was initially carried out to find out if there was any so called ârevenge evictionsâ happening to tenants where the landlord repossess the property because the tenant is asking for repairs on improved conditions.
Other factors that have led to an eviction even include drug related activity. Although this is markedly less than the bad behavior percentage at 20%, however, it can be quite a sobering thought for many landlords out there that illegal use of drugs might be taking place inside their property. These are the most common factors gathered from the survey that can often lead to an eviction.
The Chairman of the Residential Landlords Association, Mr. Alan Ward, explained that the surveys results backed up claims that the âvast majority of evictionsâ end up happening because rent is not being paid on time or at all and bad behavior and property damage can also end up in an eviction for the tenant. The findings did not indicate that any revenge evictions were happening, however, the landlords that answered the questions might not have told the whole truth and if that thought did enter their mind. A liberal Democrat MP, Sarah Teather, proposed that a private members bill be introduced to stop the revenge evictions, however, the landlords surveyed said it would be heavily biased against their interests and doesnât take into account that most property owners only use eviction as the final and last resort.