Campaign launched to speed up evictions

A campaign has been launched for Parliament to change the law to speed up the eviction process and give landlords more right of access to their own properties.

It is being spearheaded by Landlord Action and is backed by the Residential Landlords Association and Mike Weatherley, Tory MP for Hove and Portslade in Sussex.

Paul Shamplina, of Landlord Action, said: “We are seeking changes to the law in order to speed up the eviction process. This is particularly important when there is a clear case of non-payment of rent or anti-social behaviour.

“We are also seeking changes to the law to improve a landlord’s rights of access to their own property in the case of non-payment of rent or anti-social behaviour.

“We also want commitment from the Government that the proposed closures of county courts will not result in delays for landlords trying to obtain possession of their property.”

Suzy Butler is also backing the campaign. She returned to the UK from a charity tour in Peru (ironically, to help with homelessness) to find that her tenant was in arrears and refusing to move out of the property. It took months for her to regain possession of her property.

Shamplina said: “Landlords are forced to go through a drawn-out process just to get their property back.

“We accept that in many cases, tenants will have a valid defence against being evicted where, for example, the landlord has not maintained the property properly. Quite rightly, evidence must be heard and these cases should take longer.

“But, in most eviction cases, tenants do not turn up to court and there is not enough support for single property landlords who may have been forced to let out their properties due to financial hardship or unforeseen personal circumstances, so not being able to reclaim their homes is disastrous. 

“It leaves the owners feeling no one is on their side, especially as local councils are advising tenants to stay put until they are legally obliged to leave. The system needs a complete overhaul to give more support to landlords, in particular single-property landlords.”


To support the campaign, visit www.LandlordAction.co.uk/campaigns