Upcoming Events :
Housing Seminar: Partnerships with the Public Sector – Avoiding the pitfalls
Thu 31 May 2012
Minerva House, 5 Montague Close, London, SE1 9BB
Landlords and tenants 'must understand their rights towards one another'
Wed 23 Jun 2010
The Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO) has said tenants and landlords need to understand their rights towards one another.
According to the organisation, this is important because the boundaries between criminal and civil law are becoming increasingly blurred.
However, an ACPO spokesperson told the Guardian that if disputes between landlords and tenants do get reported to the police, officers will always aim to act "sensitively and impartially".
The official stated that any allegations that are made by either party will also be investigated if criminal offences are disclosed.
James Cross, a tenancy relations officer at Southwark Council in south London, added that would-be landlords should be advised on the law when they are considering buying an investment property.
He said this would reduce the likelihood of them carrying out unlawful evictions and lead to them reacting "properly and calmly" in difficult situations.
Emma Chadwick, a partner at Winckworth Sherwood, commented: "Landlords who take the time to understand their legal rights and obligations are more likely to enjoy a smoother income stream from their buy-to-let portfolios and to avoid making errors in procedure when their tenants fall behind with rent, such as unlawfully evicting their tenants - which can be costly to them financially and otherwise.
"Landlords need to familiarise themselves with the law or to retain lawyers quickly to avoid unnecessary police involvement, which at best causes delay or expense and at worst prosecution."
This comes after Paragon Mortgages revealed that the number of landlords planning to purchase residential property for investment purposes has gone up since the start of the year.
