Tenant humiliation practices condemned by NLA, ARLA

Posted under General by Michael

The National Landlords’ Association (NLA) and the Association of Residential Letting Agents (ARLA) have jointly come forward in condemning tenant humiliation practices.

The two associations, representing more than 23,500 letting agents and landlords, have criticised those landlords who allowed putting up rent dodger signs on properties of tenants who failed to make their payments.

NLA chairman, while admitting that landlords get frustrated due to non receipt of payments from tenants, suggested use of legal channels to gain possession if absolutely essential.

The law favours landlords in such situations, but court judgements take longer, commonly six months or more. Landlords do not get easy channels for taking action against erring tenants while facing extremely tough economic conditions. These frustrations apart, NLA strongly disapproved tenant humiliation practice as a flawed idea.

ARLA’s head of operations, Ian Potter, concurred with this view. He termed humiliation practice as an illegal action violating planning and data protection laws. He wanted to know what the landlords and agents would gain and what would be the opinion of majority of people about them? He cautioned that taking law in their own hands was more dangerous.

ARLA feels that letting agents, who encouraged such actions against tenants, must be boycotted.