Retaliatory eviction - Citizens Advice

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Shelter Cymru & Citizens Advice CymruMaking rights real: preventing retaliatory evictions in WalesFurthermore, the Welsh Government is proposing to remove the ‘six-month moratorium’ that currentlyprotects tenants from eviction for the first six months of their tenancy. Potentially this could have theunintended effect of increasing tenants’ vulnerability to retaliatory eviction and further deterring them fromdefending their rights.Currently, if tenants need to raise disrepair issues it is generally in their interests to do so when they havea substantial length of time left on their fixed term agreement. By being protected from immediate evictionthey hope that any bad feeling between themselves and the landlord will have settled by the time theycome to renegotiate the tenancy.The ‘six month moratorium’ gives tenants some assurance that if they raise disrepair issues near the startof the tenancy, they will be protected both from eviction and rent rises for at least a few months.Our concern about the Renting Homes proposals is that there appears to be little incentive for landlordsto offer any fixed term at all. Instead the scheme allows them to insist that new tenants remain on rollingperiodic contracts until they decide the tenants can be trusted or, potentially, for the duration of thetenancy.This may not be a problem for tenants with a certain level of income who are able to exercise consumerchoice and negotiate favourable terms with potential landlords. However, households on low incomesare generally not in a strong bargaining position and will have little choice but to accept whatever termstheir landlord proposes. These are also the households who are most at risk of living in poor qualityaccommodation and being subject to retaliatory acts.If, when the Bill becomes law, periodic contracts become more prevalent among low-income householdsstarting new PRS tenancies then many will be in even more precarious positions than they are now. Inthese circumstances it will be highly unlikely that tenants will be willing to challenge their landlord on anyissue, let alone one that could see them branded a ‘troublemaker’ and evicted with two months’ notice atany time.Introducing retaliatory eviction protection would greatly assist tenants to negotiate with their landlord inorder to ensure that the repairing and other obligations in the standard rental contract are met.As well as improving landlord compliance it could also have a positive effect on tenant compliance,since tenants would be aware that if they failed to honour their tenancy obligations they would no longerbe protected from retaliatory acts. This could serve to enhance the overall effectiveness of the RentingHomes scheme.28
Making rights real: preventing retaliatory evictions in WalesCompulsory landlord licensingAs well as the Renting Homes Bill, the Welsh Government also proposes to introduce compulsoryregistration and accreditation for all private landlords under the Housing Bill. 47 Under these proposalsevery landlord in Wales will be required to register their details with a central database and pass a ‘fitand proper person’ test. Landlords must then become fully accredited within two years, by taking anintroductory course and then undertaking Continuing Professional Development training.This move has the potential to improve standards of professionalism across the PRS. Our caseworkreveals frequent examples of landlords who lack a basic understanding of their legal obligations. Providedit is backed by the resources to deliver it effectively, licensing will help ensure that all landlords areequipped with the essential knowledge needed to rent homes responsibly.It will also assist local authority officers to target enforcement at the worst landlords: for the first time,Environmental Health Officers will have a comprehensive list of all the PRS properties in their area and willtherefore be able to identify rogue landlords more easily.In our casework we sometimes come across repeat cases of retaliatory action: a tenant will approachus after receiving an eviction notice in retaliation for contacting the local authority; then some monthsdown the line another tenant will approach us with the same disrepair issues in the same property. In ourexperience, unless enforcement is in the form of formal notices it does not always ‘stick’ after a tenantleaves.Ensuring that there are resources in place to follow up disrepair issues will reduce the incentive forlandlords to evict, since removing the tenants will not remove the problem. The landlord register shouldassist Environmental Health Officers to identify outstanding enforcement actions, provided it allowsinformation on informal action and warnings as well as formal notices to be logged.We hope that, over time, registration and accreditation will mean that retaliatory eviction becomes lessfrequent in Wales. Without legislation, however, it will remain a disincentive for tenants to stand up forthemselves.Furthermore, we feel that the take-up of licensing across Wales could be made quicker if tenants weremore empowered to raise issues with their landlord, such as whether they were intending to becomeregistered, without fear of reprisals. Landlords who are hostile to the concept of registration may decide toget rid of their ‘troublesome’ tenant rather than carry out the request.Tenants could play a strong role in encouraging the spread of licensing in Wales, but the extent to whichthey can do this depends on how empowered they feel to raise issues with their landlord, particularlyissues where landlords may have a strong antipathy.47 Due to be laid before the Welsh Assembly during Autumn 201329
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