Landlords promised power to evict rowdy tenants in two weeks

The government plans to grant landlords new authority to evict problematic tenants with two weeks’ notice in an effort to combat antisocial behaviour. The measures would include evicting tenants who are “persistently problematic”, cause disturbance to neighbours, damage to property, or fail to pay their rent.

The plans stipulate that property owners who use Airbnb to rent out their properties will have to sign up on a council register. This will make it easier for local councils to handle complaints about rowdy guests creating “party flats” that cause disturbances among their neighbours.

The plan also proposes that all new private tenancy agreements will have to include provisions that explicitly ban antisocial behaviour, with the four-week eviction notice timeframe being reduced two-weeks. The government has made it clear that any behaviour that will create a “nuisance or annoyance” will result in eviction, which will make it simpler for landlords to prove antisocial behaviour in court.

In the effort to speed up the process, the government put forward that eviction cases will be given priority in the courts. A judge now has to consider how antisocial behaviour affects housemates, neighbours, and landlords in light of the new legislation. In addition, the judge must consider whether the tenant has failed to follow intervention procedures to manage their behaviour.

There will be a Renters Reform Bill that will introduce a number of changes that will protect tenants, including bans on no-fault evictions, and a ban on landlords raising rent more than once per year.

For more information contact pbhanot@wyn.legal or bkaur@wyn.legal