Landlords forced to evict more tenants

News Category: Legal

An increasing number of landlords are being forced to evict tenants, with the main cause being unmanageable rent arrears.

There are now double the number of people who are opting to rent an abode rather than buy one outright, but while this is good news for property investors, it has inevitably led to a rise in the number of problem tenants.

According to tenant eviction specialist Helpland, 13 per cent of UK renters were in "severe arrears" in July 2011.

In the past 12 months, the number of court orders being issued to oust property inhabitants has grown by nine per cent.

Managing director of the firm Lee Daniels urged fed-up landlords not to take the law into their own hands when attempting to remove a tenant and instead go through the proper channels.

"There are always legal steps they can take and in doing so they will protect themselves and their investment," he commented.

Recently, the Money Advice Trust reported that its debt helpline had seen an 84 per cent increase in the number of calls from people who could not afford their rent payments since 2007.

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