Landlords more likely to evict tenants in arrears

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by Gill Montia

Landlord Assist is wary of recent figures claiming that fewer tenants are being evicted.

Last week, easyroommate.co.uk reported that tenant evictions in England and Wales have fallen by 11%.

The online flat-share specialist claimed that evictions peaked in the twelve months to the third quarter of 2008, at 56,700, with the figure falling by 6,000 over the same period of 2009, to 50,450.

However, Landlord Assist says its clients are facing growing arrears and subsequently tenant evictions are on the increase.

The firm’s managing director, Graham Kinnear, comments: “We are baffled by these latest figures as it is our firm understanding that the level of evictions has risen.”

He adds: “Our caseload increased significantly throughout 2009 and we struggle to believe this is purely as a result of our increased market share in the sector.”

Mr Kinnear also points to research from the National Landlords’ Association suggesting that nearly 45% of landlords struggled to get some rents in during 2009.

According to the managing director, landlords are keener than ever to obtain the rent or evict the tenant.

In most cases landlords have limited reserves and a mortgage to support, meaning they simply can’t afford to have tenants who don’t pay.