Fixflo chief concerned at eviction law change bid

The head of a leading online repair and property management firm is the latest to warn about legislation aimed at outlawing revenge evictions, claiming it will have far reaching consequences for the lettings industry.

A government amendment to the Deregulation Bill, due to be debated in the House of Lords tomorrow, raises the prospect of landlords being unable to swiftly remove tenants who are failing to pay their rent or committing anti-social behaviour.

Under the amendment, landlords would be barred from issuing a notice to remove a tenant - a Section 21 notice - when a tenant makes a written complaint to the landlord about conditions in a property. Many within the industry say this would make it almost impossible for a landlord to regain possession of their property if the tenant is committing anti-social behaviour or failing to pay their rent at the same time.

Now Rajeev Nayyar, managing director of Fixflo, has joined the debate. He's told Letting Agent Today: Property managers would need to provide details of their proposed remedial action and expected timeframe for remediation within 14 days of receiving a written repair request. This would be an additional administrative burden and they may face severe consequences for non-compliance including damage to their brand, litigation and loss of clients/revenue.

But he says there is an upside. Those agencies that have or build strong internal repair management processes will be well placed to win instructions as landlords who self-manage look for an alternative in light of the increased compliance burden.