Being a landlord is no picnic and could leave you all at sea!

You may think that being a landlord is as easy as taking a walk on the beach.  You own a property, you rent it out, and you sit back in your deckchair whilst the money rolls in.

Sadly, it’s never been as easy as that, and COVID restrictions are making it harder, with delays and confusion.  It’s worse than finding ants in your sandwiches.

Just when you thought the summer might never start, the sun comes out, and notice periods are reduced to 4 months from 6 although we’re still not back to the 2 months’ notice period of pre COVID times.  Even if your tenant is in arrears, the notice period is still 4 weeks compared to the pre COVID 2 week.

So is this as good as it gets?  Well for the moment, yes.  We will be well into the colder months, and getting thinking about getting ready for Halloween before anything changes.  The earliest date is expected to be no earlier than 1 October 2021.

But don’t put the picnic blanket away in disappointment just yet because it’s not all bad news.  Bailiffs can now enforce possession orders that have already been obtained.  Although, if tenants have Covid-19 symptoms that might send us running for the umbrellas, especially as you can’t prove such symptoms.  Whilst some may genuinely be unwell, others will no doubt use it as a delaying tactic.

Hopefully the end of lockdown is considerably nearer than the end of the summer, so if you are a landlord with tenants who aren’t paying their rent, and you want to have a chat with me about your options over some sausage rolls and Pimms, I’ll be sitting in the sun and happy to share my picnic with you any time you like.

Kleyman & Co Solicitors.  The full service law firm.  Giving good advice come rain or shine.