'Check-up to avoid tenants from hell'

News Category: Legal

This article was brought to you by Rentman the premium property management system.

Landlords have been advised to check up on references provided by their tenants to avoid falling victim to 'occupants from hell'.

David Lawrenson of Letting Focus told Investors Chronicle that references can be obtained by letting agents on landlords' behalf.

However, he commented that it would be landlords who would suffer if tenants do not prove to be sufficiently reliable.

Mr Lawrenson said: "Wherever possible, I try to meet prospective tenants, or at least see the application form they've filled in … If they are bright, they will quickly get another job if they're made redundant."

Tessa Shepperson of Landlord Law told the news provider that if a tenant stops paying rent, it can take landlords up to eight months to force their eviction.

In this time, however, landlords are still expected to meet their buy-to-let mortgage requirements, she added.

Landlords need to have sufficient evidence, such as inventories, to ensure they are successful in tenancy deposit disputes, mydeposits.co.uk recently advised.

How to stay legally compliant with letting agent software.