I am currently dealing with a client situation, whereby I have advised client not to instruct me evict this particular tenant. The tenant is a rude and demanding person who thinks the world revolves around them, and recently let an electrician in to do an EICR test, and then wouldn’t let him actually do the test when he arrived. This was because the tenant didn’t realise the power would have to be turned off during the test.
This tenant moved in early last year and has managed to upset ALL of the trades over the past 10 months. Landlord now wants to evict as they’re fed up with situation.
This type of eviction is sometimes referred to as a retaliatory eviction, which if proven in court would backfire on the Landlord, should tenant force us to apply for a possession order. And under the Coronavirus Act implemented in March 2020, eviction and possession order timescales have been extended. I can see where the Landlord is coming from, as this tenant would try the patience of a saint.
As I have said to the Landlord, the important thing here is that tenant has always paid on time, and they are keeping the house in excellent condition. And since Landlord hired us to look after the tenancy, it is us who have to deal directly with this troublesome tenant.
We have left our ego outside the door, so to speak; and are killing this tenant with kindness! We respond promptly to their concerns and they know they cannot fault our level of service to them, which, if you think about it, probably cheeses them off!! As it gives them nothing to complain about.
Property is a people business, and no matter how much some people try to upset you, it is important to keep a cool head and not take it personally. If you look after people well and treat them fairly, they in turn will look after you, most of the time. For us we always prefer to mediate and try to fix problems to everyone’s satisfaction, and most of the time it works.
Tenant has said they are moving later this year anyway, so there is absolutely no point in serving notice and waiting 10 months before we can apply for possession, should that scenario play out. Then there is the backlog in the courts which will add several more months to the situation etc. So now that I have explained all that to Landlord in more detail, I am awaiting a response. The Landlord has 2 options, follow my advice or instruct me to serve a S21. Which option would you choose?