BEST PRACTICE – letter template to go with eviction notices

BEST PRACTICE – letter template to go with eviction notices

16:26 PM, 16th January 2019, About 5 years ago 11

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Did you know that legislation exists to ensure that tenants are treated by Council’s as being at risk of homelessness when a valid Section 21 notice is served, NOT when a court order is made, and certainly before bailiffs are appointed?

On this basis, advice given to tenants by Council’s and other organisations like Shelter, to ‘stay put’ may well be seriously flawed, in addition to being unfair and stressful to both landlords and tenants alike.

To combat this I have produced a letter template which I recommend all landlords and letting agents to send to tenants when they are being served with Section 21 or Section 8 notices.

The letter template is designed to be informative and helpful to tenants who may be concerned about being made homeless, and it makes it very clear that Councils should not be advising them to stay put and wait for a bailiff eviction.

The letter will also be useful to tenants when visiting their local Council with a view to making a homelessness application or seeking support, as it gives them an indication of what to expect.  It includes references to the relevant  legislation and Government guidance, and how tenants can contact their MP if they feel they are being ‘fobbed off’ or badly advised.  

As you may be aware, I run a ‘not for profit’ organisation which provides supported accommodation for homeless people and I am always looking for innovative ways to raise funds.  If you make a reasonable donation to my organisation (most people donate around £20 but every little helps) I will send you a link to the letter template by return.

Download the eviction 'side-letter' template


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Comments

Helen

18:11 PM, 8th August 2022, About 2 years ago

When this happened to me recently, nearing the eviction the council housing department called me. They didn't know that the tenant was in rent arrears, to the tune of £9000 and said that in that case they are classed as 'voluntarily homeless' anyway and won't get council help. However, as she was pretending to be a single mother, before I also quashed that lie, they said that social services (rather than the housing department)has to house them for 60 days while an investigation is carried out.
It seems that although she was told not to leave before the bailiffs came she was not informed of the consequences of not paying rent.
If she had been, in order for her to get her council house (ha ha) she might have paid me the rent I needed. She could have just asked me to evict her under section 21.

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