6A Notice Seeking Possession

For new tenants from October 2015, the previous Section 21 Notice will no longer be valid and is replaced by Notice 6A. This new form brings some good news for Landlords as it is no longer necessary to consider the last day of a tenancy period so long as certain information on the form is included.

The not so good news

At the commencement of any new tenancy, all tenants must be provided with:

• An Energy Performance Certificate
• A Gas Safety Certificate
• A copy of the new Government How to Rent Guide

These requirements must be followed in addition to those introduced in the Deregulation Act 2014:

• Prescribed Information Certificate must be given to the tenant and Tenants -™ deposits must be protected within 30 days of the money being paid.
• Where the law dictates, the property must be licensed (either HMO or in an area where there is Selective or Additional licensing is in place)
• Preventing retaliatory eviction (Section 33)

Further restrictions are now in place to prevent landlords from serving a Section 21:

• If the tenant has complained to the landlord in writing before the notice was served regarding the condition of the property
• If the landlord has not provided a written response detailing how the problem is going to be resolved within 14 days
• If the tenant has reported to problem to their local authority resulting in a ‘Improvement/Remedial Notice’ being served.

The bad news

It will no longer be possible to serve a Section 21 Notice on commencement of a new tenancy. As a fail-safe many landlords find the easiest way to ensure they’ll be able to apply for possession upon cessation of the tenancy but this new legislation prevents landlords from doing this.

One decision for landlords to make following these changes may be to hand over the management of their property affairs to a management company. There are a lot of changes to get your head around -“ some may argue a law Degree is necessary to understand them all.

Why not hand it all over to a company with the necessary qualifications and experience to deal with it on your behalf?

For further information on the new legislation or to seek advice on property management, don’t hesitate to get in touch with BuyMyPropertyForCash.co.uk