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TODAY'S OTHER NEWS

Croydon becomes first council to support campaign to scrap Section 21

Croydon Council has become the first local authority to support calls to scrap the so-called ‘no fault’ evictions in order to give renters greater power and security.

The council wants central government to abolish Section 21 notices, which enables a landlord to provide notice to their tenant to start the process of ending their Assured Shorthold Tenancy.

The full council passed a motion this week to become the first authority to formally back the End Unfair Evictions campaign, which is headed up by Generation Rent, the London Renters Union, ACORN and the New Economics Foundation.

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Alison Butler, Croydon Council cabinet member for Homes & Gateway Services and deputy leader, who proposed the motion, said: “The biggest cause of homelessness in Croydon is evictions in the private rental sector.

“With Croydon having lost around 70% of its budget since 2010, we are struggling to deal with the scale of this problem, and it is unacceptable that private landlords are able to evict vulnerable tenants so easily, leaving the public sector to pick up the bill.”

In his speech to the Labour party conference in Liverpool last month, shadow housing secretary, John Healey, also expressed his support for scrapping Section 21.

In response, Richard Lambert, CEO of the National Landlords Association (NLA), pointed out that many private landlords resort to Section 21 notices because the alternative procedures take too long to process through the courts.

He commented: “The proposals don’t address the real reason that the section 21 no fault possession process is used so much, which is that the courts are so overloaded that the preferred section 8 procedure, citing grounds for ending the tenancy, has become uncertain, time consuming and expensive.

“If Labour really wanted to make a difference in how the private rented sector works, it should tackle the causes of the problems, not the symptoms.”

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Poll: Do you expect other councils to back calls to scrap Section 21?

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    What hypocrisy. The councils evict for the same reasons as private landlords - primarily rent arrears, damage and anti-social behaviour and the levels are very similar. Because their processes are different they can make out that they have a valid reason and that landlords don't. The ending of a tenancy doesn't cause homelessness; the reasons behind the ending of the tenancy do.

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    oh well section 8 it is then, evicted tenants will then have that record on their credit history, they won't stand a cats chance in hell of finding a landlord prepared to rent to them, shot in foot??

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    Letting out for a fixed period is just like a lease term of any property. If the lease is not extended the property is to be returned to the landlord.
    Even section 21 cannot be enforced without court action- atone consuming & expensive process.
    Homelessness in Croydon- the local council should build enough houses to give them a roof over them. Why should it prevent landlords from getting their property back.

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    Interesting... my council summoned me to a meeting recently and pressurised me to serve S21 on one of my tenants.

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    I'm surprised there are any private landlords in Croyden with the attitude of this council. If I were one, I'd seriously be considering selling up and buying in another area.

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    So good prospective tenants will be denied properties being hogged by less deserving sitting tenants. Every landlord will know tenants who have had to move out of their previous property will have been at fault. Another case of shooting in the foot!

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    What Richard Lambert should have said is that

    landlords do not evict good tenants https://www.property118.com/shelter-ceo-confused-reasons-evictions/

    that S 21 is not a cause of homelessness https://www.property118.com/shelter-ceo-also-confused-no-fault-evictions/comment-page-2/#comment-106473

    and that if we return to lifetime tenancies the PRS will shrink drastically like it did in the last century. People will not let properties that they might never get back. Beware of ignorant young disrupters for they know not what they do,

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    Richard Lambert = chocolate teaspoon

     
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    Don`t know about everybody else but this daily shots fired rally about rents being high and s21 oh and longer tenancy is really starting to grind my gears!
    Good tenants are always wanted. All this guff is about bad tenants. I have some great tenants never a bother, sad when they leave. The more this rubbish comes out the stricter I am who comes in.

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    '..and it is unacceptable that private landlords are able to evict vulnerable tenants so easily, leaving the public sector to pick up the bill' ....... what a statement ......
    Is he implying all tenants are 'vulnerable'? If not then he must be saying that private landlords should be responsible for housing all the non-paying, badly behaved dregs of our country ..... um, I don't think so buddy!
    Has he thought for one minute what would happen if all private landlords shut up shop and turfed out their tenants - think of the bill the public sector (funded by our taxes as you know) would get then!

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    I had every intention of making property a lifetime business for both myself and my tenants, but if this were to happen then I'm out of it. There is no way I can accept being forced to keep a unruly, troublesome tenant in one of my properties forever, or for any other reason come to that. I can't imagine the Building Society and Banks who are providing all the mortgages for these properties, and as major stakeholders in the sector would be very happy about this either? With everything else that has gone before and is still likely to follow I feel this would spell the death knell of the whole business and indeed the property market generally, as all landlords look to cash in. Am I being over concerned. Anyone feel any differently?

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    My thoughts exactly. 20 yrs in the Business and it was my pension. Had some dreadful people, but was willing to give some a chance. If I dont get a reference from the Pope and a some form of assurance from several sources forget it.

     
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    rsls evict huge numbers weekly at croydon crown court

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    Croydon landlords will be forced to Cherry Pick tenants, discriminating on quality and selecting professional tenants who are more likely to stay for just 12 -24 months. The more 'vulnerable tenants' who Croydon cannot house themselves will be forced out of the private sector for good. Passing the buck to private landlords who already do an excellent job of providing good housing where local Government fall short. Bound to backfire on Croydon Council. Lack of common sense and I hope other Borough's think through the consequences before adopting the scheme.

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    I loved what you said. But Councils and thinking. MMM!

     
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    "...it is unacceptable that private landlords are able to evict vulnerable tenants so easily, leaving the public sector to pick up the bill.”

    Have you been smoking crack, Alison?

    'Pick up the bill' -it's not some kind of duty of LLs to house the population, you know! But it is a duty of yours/the State's, though. As a private business in a free-market, capitalist country, we get the privilege of choice! We can choose not to take on ANY tenants, but that doesn't mean we are causing or creating a bill for the public to 'pick up'.

    Bloody idiot.

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    We should swamp this silly woman's email system demanding she backs up her assertions with evidence, or withdraws them and publicly apologises to our much maligned business community.

     
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    Alison Butler, Croydon Council cabinet member for Homes & Gateway Services and deputy leader, who proposed the motion, said: “The biggest cause of homelessness in Croydon is evictions in the private rental sector.”

    Shelter knows different
    https://www.property118.com/shelters-website-says-section-21-not-cause-homelessness/#

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    rsls evict the most

     
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    What an absolute load of council tripe, the evictions have nothing to do with Rent Arrears? Nothing to do with Anti social behaviour? Nothing to with trashed property? The list is not endless.
    Private landlords sell up get out of this game of dominoes, leave the housing to the Council Muppets, the clueless ones, only issue 6 month ASTs with notice of 2 months termination in Contract effective from month 4, that will help, Relet the property from month, a void of a few days if possible. DO NOT TAKE ON ANY PERSON ON BENEFITS OR UC. Remember its your property and like the Council do not be dictated to!!!

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