Thursday, 27 September 2018

This Monday 1^st October, important changes in how landlords and letting agents issue Section 21 notices come into force.

A Section 21 notice enables landlords to evict a tenant. Evicting a tenant without one is illegal.

Under the new rules, landlords will now be required to use Form 6A. The form, prescribed by Government, combines the two previous types of notices into a single notice for both periodic and fixed-term tenancies.

In addition, under the Deregulation Act 2015, landlords and agents wishing to issue their tenants with a Section 21 notice should:

• Ensure they have shared the ‘How to rent: the checklist for renting in England’ guide with tenants
• Make sure the property has an up to date Gas Safety Certificate and the tenants have seen it
• Publish the property’s Energy Performance Certificate (except when the property isn’t required to have one)
• Inform tenants which scheme their deposit is protected in
• Where the property is licensed, provide a copy of the licence to all of the tenants.

The changes will have a direct impact on hundreds of thousands of tenancies across the country – making it more difficult for landlords to issue a Section 21 notice to evict tenants.

You can find out more about the new rules on the ARLA website.

If you would like help navigating the new rules, give us a call on 01604 823456 and find out about our part-managed service for landlords. As part of this service, we will handle all the administration of your property – giving you peace of mind that you’re fully compliant with all current legislation.