As a landlord do you know your rights and responsibilities? Well, it would appear that many people, including tenants, do not know where they stand when it comes to the rules and regulations governing the private rented sector.
Fresh research among more than 2,000 UK adults by LetBritain claims that many landlords and tenants across the country are unaware of the laws governing the rental market.
The study, which was commissioned by online letting agent LetBritain, has found that 16% of landlords do not realise that a tenant must be given at least two months’ notice under section 21 of the Housing Act 1988 if they wish to evict them.
Similarly, 12% of landlords do not know they must provide 24 hours’ notice before entering the property; 14% of landlords do not realise it is their responsibility to arrange and pay for any repairs to the exterior of a property; 12% of landlords do not know they should put tenants’ deposits in a tenancy deposit protection scheme; and 27% have no idea that tenants have the right to challenge the rent being charged if it is not comparable to similar properties in the area.
Tenants have their own issues when it comes to a lack of knowledge of the rules.
Some 34% of people living in rented accommodation do not know that they have the right for their deposits to be placed in a tenancy deposit protection scheme, while 37% do not realise that a tenant must be given at least two months’ notice if a landlord wishes to evict them.
Other regulatory issues that are widely unknown by renters included the fact that a landlord must provide an Energy Performance Certificate for the property (34% do not know this); a landlord should provide 24 hours’ notice before entering the property (28%); and tenants have the right to challenge rental prices if they are not comparable to similar properties in the area (50%).
Some 43% of private renters also do not know that tenants can challenge any excessive charges made by a landlord via an ombudsman.
Fareed Nabir, CEO of LetBritain, said: “It is clear that a huge proportion of UK renters – a population growing in size – do not truly understand the legislation and regulation in place to protect them. Likewise, a concerning number of landlords are also in the dark about exactly what rights and responsibilities they have.
“Such a lack of awareness increases the risk of renters and landlords being exploited – it must be addressed and letting agents certainly have a duty to better inform all their customers about the vital legislative framework governing the rental sector.”
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