Landlords cost saving ends up costing more

One of the more common issues that we are seeing today is the number of landlords who are turning to google and the internet to obtain a tenancy agreement, possession notices and/or guidance on possession proceedings.  Whilst they are taking these steps with a view to saving money, in the long term it could end up costing them a lot more.

It is clear why landlords would rather pay £5 to £10 for an ‘off the shelf’ do it yourself agreement but in doing so, the landlords afford themselves very little protection.  The costs in doing it yourself are bound to be cheaper than instructing a solicitor.  However, very little thought is given to the extra costs that you can incur when you have to pay a solicitor to remedy any mistakes that have been made.  One landlord client has even provided me with an Agreement incorporating the law of United States of America believing it to be a tenancy agreement for England & Wales. Why would you allow someone to use your most prized of possessions without protecting yourself?

It is not only the off the shelf agreements that can cause a problem but also landlords are dealing with the legal notices themselves when trying to end a tenancy.  One landlord told us that he has given the tenant 2 weeks verbal notice to get out and can’t understand why they are still there 6 weeks later. Another issued a letter giving 60 days for the tenant to vacate the property.  Both of these, if defended would be deemed invalid and could cost the landlord a lot of money in trying to rectify the error.

As we assist both landlords and tenants, we are able to identify all of the pitfalls and potential defences that can be raised and therefore ensure that all notices given are accurate and watertight.  It is extremely important for the notices to be correct with no errors and where errors do occur, it will end up costing a lot more in having to re-issue valid notices and ‘fix it’.

We offer competitive fixed fee services for landlords to assist with all aspects of their tenancy from drafting a bespoke tenancy agreement to attending a possession hearing to remove a non-compliant tenant and everything in between. While you may think that you are saving yourself money by doing it yourself, you should think ‘how much will this cost if this is wrong?’

If you would like more information please contact Craig Court on 01633 244233 or email courtc@hevans.com