Rent Arrears

Rent arrears are a landlord’s biggest nightmare. In the current economic climate a landlord’s biggest pressure is fulfilling his/her financial obligations.

How do you track unpaid rent?

At Morgan Randall we have a sophisticated credit control procedure which is vigorously followed. We do not charge our clients for our rent collection service as we feel it should be inclusive of the introduction fee. It is also important for landlords to know their options when dealing with the tenant who is defaulting on their rental payments. Using a series of strategically worded and timed correspondence we are often able to recover unpaid rent whilst keeping the landlord informed at all times.

What happens if the tenant stops paying altogether?

In the odd instance the tenant can simply no longer afford the rent or where rent is being withheld, due to the processes and procedures we have in place we are able to identify these problems early and take the necessary action to seek possession at the earliest opportunity. Once the tenant is in arrears by a certain amount, we are able to start legal proceedings on your behalf ensuring the notice is correctly served. We can then put you in direct contact with a firm of solicitors who can prepare court proceedings papers for you as well as applying to the court for a hearing on your behalf. In some cases we can attend court on the landlord’s behalf.

My private tenant has lost his job and can’t pay the rent. How do I evict him?

If you are currently having problems with your tenant paying the rent, please contact our property management team to see if we can help. Alternatively, if you’d like us to serve the appropriate notice on your tenant, leave us your number and we’ll call you to discuss.

Can I tell the tenants I will change the locks if they don’t pay?

Absolutely not. The Protection From Eviction Act 1977 prevents the unlawful eviction and harassment of residential tenants. It is a criminal offence that can lead to imprisonment, a fine or both if the Act is breached. Morgan Randall can advise you on the best way to legally secure possession of the property.

Can I charge interest on late payment of rent?

It depends. If you wish to charge your tenant interest it must be detailed in the tenancy agreement. Thankfully when you use a tenancy agreement supplied by Morgan Randall you are able to charge your tenant in this instance.

If you’d like advice or if you are currently collecting the rent directly and would like Morgan Randall to do this at no extra cost, give us a call on 020 7510 0915.

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