Rent arrears cause repossessions

It follows recent data released by the National Landlords Association (NLA) showing a fifth of private-residential landlords had tenants in rent arrears during Q2 2010.

Whilst one-third of landlords had never sought to end a tenancy, the survey found 23.3% had because of anti-social behaviour by tenants.

Landlords reported that in 57% of possession cases the tenants took less than three months to move out, while 81% of cases were resolved within five months.

David Salusbury, chairman, NLA, commenting on the research results, said: “Gaining possession can be very costly for landlords, especially when it is related to rental arrears. Many landlords have mortgages to pay on top of the expense of gaining possession.

“One-third of landlords have reported paying between £250 and £1,000 to have tenants removed. This amount is often compounded by late rent payments.”