Evicting a tenant myself

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I have a tenant on housing benefit and the council is witholding his money for reasons unclear to me. At the same time, I have to pay a solicitor £500 to evict him, and I could face a further 8 weeks of rent arrears (£150 x 8 = £1200), which makes a total of £1700. My solicitor does not know the eviction date yet, and the council cannot confirm whether the tenant is entitled to his housing benefit or not.

My idea is to throw out the tenant at some point prior to his official eviction and put in new tenants, in order to minimise loss, since £1700 will put me in a position close to bankruptcy.

What are the realistic chances of me being able to do so without facing any real consequences. I understand that this may be illegal, but at the same time, I have heard that tenants who have already been thrown out find little luck with the law.

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Type: Question • Score: 4 • Views: 1,246 • Replies: 8

@shushanto,

If it's illegal, why are you doing it? I think that's awful that you would do that to him - what's wrong with you?

And how can 1700 pounds put you close to bankruptcy?

Who or what is the 'council' and why don't you contact them about why they're withholding his money? Tell him you're the landlord and you're facing financial difficulties. Did your tenant pay regularly up till now?

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@shushanto,

That's obviously a question for a British solicitor. If he/she determines that you can do it, and do it expeditiously, then it'll put you some pounds ahead.

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@shushanto,

shushanto wrote:

I have a tenant on housing benefit and the council is witholding his money for reasons unclear to me. At the same time, I have to pay a solicitor £500 to evict him, and I could face a further 8 weeks of rent arrears (£150 x 8 = £1200), which makes a total of £1700. My solicitor does not know the eviction date yet, and the council cannot confirm whether the tenant is entitled to his housing benefit or not.

My idea is to throw out the tenant at some point prior to his official eviction and put in new tenants, in order to minimise loss, since £1700 will put me in a position close to bankruptcy.

What are the realistic chances of me being able to do so without facing any real consequences. I understand that this may be illegal, but at the same time, I have heard that tenants who have already been thrown out find little luck with the law.

I know not English law; the best that I can offer
is to mention that in America, a lot of the time,
when someone 's (e.g., a tenant's) legal rights are violated,
he will sue to vindicate those rights.

U need to discuss this THOROUGHLY with your lawyer,
to acertain your potential liability exposure
for your contemplated plan.

Don 't rely on some anonymous internet forum.
There is too much at risk.
Don 't risk more than u r willing to lose.
Good luck.

David

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@shushanto,

I repeat, if he was a good tenant who paid his rent on time, why evict him? Why not contact the Council and tell them your situation? There's got to be a more humane way of doing this than evicting him. Maybe you could be of some help to him.

Money is fleeting, but your actions can haunt you the rest of your life. Think twice, especially when you can affect (adversely) another person.

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@Mame,

Mame wrote:

I repeat, if he was a good tenant who paid his rent on time, why evict him? Why not contact the Council and tell them your situation? There's got to be a more humane way of doing this than evicting him. Maybe you could be of some help to him.

Money is fleeting, but your actions can haunt you the rest of your life. Think twice, especially when you can affect (adversely) another person.

That 's true too.

David

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@Mame,

You do realize you're talking to a landlord, right?

1 Reply

@joefromchicago,

Are you implying they're all like this?

I was a landlord for 10 yrs - things happen with people sometimes - eviction is a pretty drastic step if your tenant is good but having a few problems. Sounds like the Council has interfered for some reason, so I'd go there first.

1 Reply

@Mame,

But Mame?? You have a compassionate soul. You're not like any other landlord in the history of the universe.

Mame -->

<-- Mame!

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Evicting a tenant myself

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