A survey of 200 Section 8 or Section 21 notices sent by letting agents or landlords to tenants show that 62 per cent of them are incorrect, this leaving them open to legal challenge.
The study, by legal facilities company Landlord Action, suggests that most of the errors come from landlords who choose to serve notices themselves as a cost saving exercise.
The five main areas of inaccuracies involved incorrect tenancy expiry dates, a failure by the landlord or letting agent to comply with deposit legislation, inaccurate rent arrears schedules, an inappropriate method or timing for the serving of the notice, or simple typing errors.
Landlord Action says the worst-case scenario for landlords and agents - but one which they have witnessed thanks to error-strewn notices - is to be three months into the repossession process only to find they have to start again, involving substantial delays and additional costs.
I understand the need for landlords to consider every cost but I can't stress enough that the notice is the most important part of a possession court case and the slightest mistake can end up costing a landlord significantly more than the cost savings - in extra legal fees, delays and lost rent says Landlord Action's managing director Paul Shamplina.
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Comments
Personally, I pay fees for professionals to do this for me to avoid such instances. It is worrying, however, that there is still a possibility of me running into legal problems despite paying to avoid them. Amateur landlords attempting to take on this responsibility themselves open themselves up to legal challenge but I expect more from the agents.