![\"\"](\"https:\/\/dev.withcreative.co.uk\/lforl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/03\/Dont-face-it-alone-1024x682.jpg\")
<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
In this country, heading to court has long been considered the last resort, used only when other measures have failed. But it is often said that the UK is becoming more like the USA in its attitude to litigation. Landlords can \u2013 and do \u2013 find themselves facing legal actions brought by their tenants, and often it\u2019s in relation to relatively minor issues.<\/p>\n
The ideal, of course, is to stick to working within the law. But if there\u2019s a minor breach or misunderstanding, the best course is to prevent things escalating into a situation where the legal profession is required. Discuss the issues with the aggrieved party and if you\u2019re at fault, be big enough to make amends. Most people would rather have an issue sorted, and sorted quickly, rather than rely on the slow-grinding wheels of the legal system.<\/p>\n
But sometimes, despite your best intentions, you could find yourself in a sticky situation. It might be that your tenant has had a negative experience with a previous landlord and is prepared to use every provision of the law to get redress \u2013 from you. They could see the opportunity to gain compensation if the property they\u2019re renting is deemed unfit. They could take you to court if the deposit they have freely given you isn\u2019t put into an approved deposit protection scheme \u2013 even if you\u2019ve got the money safe and secure in a separate bank account. If you try to evict them and they disagree with the grounds, if there\u2019s an illegal clause in the tenancy agreement, if you withhold more than they think is reasonable from their deposit to cover repairs when they leave, if they feel you\u2019ve discriminated against them \u2026 the possible reasons go on and on.<\/p>\n
With landlords often painted as the bad guys, a lot more powers have been given to tenants and the latest legislation \u2013 the Homes (Fitness for Human Habitation) Act \u2013 comes into force on March 20th<\/sup>. There are more bodies championing the rights of tenants than are supporting the rights of landlords and meanwhile, things like the mass miss-selling of PPI, have made claiming compensation a mainstream activity. Even if the case isn\u2019t clear, there\u2019s an attitude developing that legal action, or even the threat of it, is worth a shot.<\/p>\n Once a situation escalates into the legal arena. Things can become stressful, time-consuming, costly and damaging. The stakes can be high. With eviction sitting on a tenant\u2019s credit reference, it\u2019s in their interest to fight it if there\u2019s a possibility they\u2019ll win the case. \u00a0Claims can be met with counterclaims, the action can be delayed, derailed and finally dropped without a satisfactory outcome.<\/p>\n When I became a landlord, the situation was much simpler than it is now, but even so, it was tricky to find the support I needed for legal issues. That\u2019s one of the reasons Legalfor<\/em>Landlords was born \u2013 and it\u2019s also the source of our business name. The range of issues faced by landlords continues to grow, but most solicitors aren\u2019t specialists in property rental. We are.<\/p>\n We operate a completely free advice line for landlords with a legal issue. If you need our help with a legal matter, our rates are transparent, fair and affordable. We can offer you guidance about the most effective ways to prevent problems arising and have cost-effective approaches if there\u2019s already something that needs solving.<\/p>\n These days, with litigation so simple and reputations so easy to damage, you should do everything you can to stay on the right side of the law. But if you stray over the line, make a simple mistake, stumble into a grey area or come up against a tenant who, right or wrong, is determined to have their day in court, we\u2019ll be here to give you a hand.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" In this country, heading to court has long been considered the last resort, used only when other measures have failed. But it is often said that the UK is becoming more like the USA in its attitude to litigation. Landlords can \u2013 and do \u2013 find themselves facing legal actions brought by their tenants, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":5698,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[3],"tags":[708,203,2089],"yoast_head":"\nThe right type of legal advice<\/h2>\n