How Our Solicitors Can Help Landlords

Owning investment property can reap its rewards however, landlords can face challenging situations. When a dispute such as rent arrears, damage to the property, or breach of contract terms cannot be resolved amicably, instructing the right solicitor is key.

According to a survey of 755 UK based residential landlords published by Statista, more than half experienced disputes with tenants. These disputes included unpaid rent, cleanliness, pets, subletting or breakages. It is not surprising that having to take legal action becomes an uncertain and stressful time for a landlord. Instructing the right solicitor helps landlords to resolve issues as quickly as possible while ensuring that a landlord’s legal obligations are met.

With so much riding on the outcome of any dispute, it is important to not only have access to sound legal advice, but to partner with a firm of solicitors offering honest and transparent advice. At Best Solicitors we cut through the jargon and ensure everything is explained in simple terms, so you know exactly where you stand at every stage of the process.

We understand the impact of escalated disputes on landlords and are committed to resolving serious issues as quickly as possible. Some of the common issues that may crop up in both residential and commercial landlord/tenant relationships include:

Tenant Evictions

If you are planning this course of action, you will be aware of terms such as ‘eviction notice’, ‘Section 8’ and ‘Section 21’ notices, ‘standard possession order’, ‘accelerated possession order’ and ‘warrant for possession’.

As a landlord, it can feel like a dizzying maze to manage all the legal matters associated with managing a property adding to the stress of a serious property dispute. Our solicitors can help you understand your rights and obligations under the law, as well as provide you with legal guidance and representation.

As the government is keen to stress: ‘You may be guilty of harassing, or illegally evicting your tenants if you do not follow the correct procedures.’ Get in touch with us today and we will help you navigate the complex tenant eviction process.

Tenancy Agreements

A tenancy agreement is the legally binding contract between a landlord and their tenants. It should comprehensively set out the obligations of both the landlord and the tenant. It is important that you get this right to mitigate future risks.

Making sure that the terms and wording of the tenancy agreement are accurate and cover all basis, minimises the risk of disputes further down the line. Details could include making it clear who pays the council tax and utility bills, restrictions such as subletting or leaving the property empty for long periods invalidating insurance policies, and liability for significant damage.

Breach of a tenancy agreement can lead to legal action and possible court proceedings making this an essential element of a landlord’s toolkit. When a tenant fails to comply with a tenancy agreement, and the dispute escalates, instructing the right solicitor can help relieve some of the stress involved and ensure that the matter can be resolved quickly, and within the law.

Landlord Obligations

Being a landlord involves increasing legal responsibilities and landlords must comply with laws to ensure tenants’ safety and well-being. To not show due care is a criminal offence and landlords can be prosecuted by their local authority under the Homes (Fitness for Human Habitation) Act 2018.

This includes providing a safe and habitable living space, making repairs in a timely manner, and respecting tenants’ rights to privacy to prevent legal issues arising against a landlord. It is important for both commercial and residential landlords to understand and comply with these legal obligations as failure to do so can result in serious consequences, including legal action and fines against them.

By working with legal experts, landlords can have peace of mind that their legal matters are in good hands so they can focus on what they do best – managing property and reaping the benefits of their investment.

Rent Arrears

If a tenant falls into significant rent arrears a landlord may have to serve them with a ‘notice to quit’ or ‘notice seeking possession’. It is critical to follow the correct notice procedures to avoid a bad situation getting worse. Serving a notice does not necessarily mean that you need to remove tenants from the rental property.

It could be they are able to pay off any outstanding rent before the notice period runs out, and this could stop court action going any further. If they cannot pay all the arrears at once, you may be able to negotiate an agreement for payments in instalments. This involves the tenant paying back the money owed over a longer period of time. To do this, it is best to have a rent repayment order in place.

Having the right legal representation can make all the difference and avoid landlords having to issue a court order. If you are a residential or commercial property landlord looking for legal advice and representation, the property disputes experts at Best Solicitors can help.

Damage to property

It is a serious, and expensive concern when significant damage is caused to a landlord’s property. Disputes relating to liability can add to the stress of the situation.

Robust tenancy agreements should clarify which party is responsible for paying for the repairs. The law states that tenants should: “Make good any damage to the property caused by the behaviour or negligence of the tenant, members of his/her household or any other person lawfully visiting or living in the property.”

The tenant is responsible unless they can argue that it is fair wear and tear. Landlords require compensation for damage, missing items or cleaning, you can claim this back by using the tenant’s deposit. To find out more about where you stand legally with any disputes, get in touch with Best Solicitors today.

Times have never been tougher for commercial and residential landlords – after a series of punishing tax changes, higher borrowing costs, buy-to-let profits have been squeezed. Landlords are under more pressure than ever with increasing legal obligations in addition to this.

The team at Best Solicitors understand the pressures faced by today’s landlords. We offer robust legal advice delivered with honesty and transparency. At Best Solicitors we are your legal partner for life. If you are a commercial or residential landlord, get in touch with us today for expert legal advice.

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After the recent passing of my mother, I needed to rewrite my own Will. I contacted Best Solicitors, who I’d lodged it with 5 years prior, & I was put in touch with Ellie Whitehead in the Wills & Probate dept. She guided me through the steps, explained everything in plain English & ensured I understood every part of my new Will. The costs were made clear at the beginning & all the work was completed quickly & efficiently. I was very happy with the service & will retain Best as my go to legal firm. I’m also reassured that if the worst happens to me, then Best are fully equipped to support my family in dealing with my estate.

Shamsa

Had a seamless experience with Best Solicitors Ltd. Really easy to get hold of and the communication from them was timely and informative. Made my house buying experience very straight forward. Thank you very much.

Charlotte

I recently decided due to circumstances to change my will. I chose Best Solicitors and must say the service was excellent. I can only thank Stephanie and Alicia for the prompt and professional service Making a hard decision or writing a will as smooth and effortless as possible but also incredibly professional. Thank you and I would recommend Best Solicitors to anyone who is in need of help.

Roger

Massive thank you to Best Solicitors and in particular Alicia Mate for the help and advice we were given when recently making our wills. Everything was explained clearly, quickly and professionally making the whole experience so easy for us both. A job really well done and we would highly recommend Best to anyone looking for support either with their wills or any other legal matter they may have. Thanks again.

Nick

Best Solicitors, and in particular the Wills and Probate department, were very efficient and in processing probate. The pathway was clearly defined by Anne Rogers, and followed a logical process, making it straightforward at a difficult time.

Anonymous

Best Solicitors & Stephanie made our first experience of buying a house, the easiest & quickest experience ever. Stephanie answered any questions we had & explained the process in detail every step of the way. Nothing was too much trouble. Thank you Stephanie & Best Solicitors.

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Great service from Ellie Whitehead in the Wills and Probate Dept. Ellie answered all of my questions and helped me decide how best to structure my will. Very helpful and prompt communications.

Liz

From start to finish we have been updated with the progress if our mortgage application. Bethan and her team were brilliant, able to help answer any questions we had. Very polite, professional company. They made our first time buying a property so stress free and easy. The house purchase went through so quickly. We would highly recommend them to anyone. Thank you for all of your help and support through this big chapter in our life.

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I have worked with Best Solicitors for many years and have always found them to be very friendly, personable, and passionate about their work.

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Elizabeth was so thorough, and so patient with my many (sometimes daft) questions. She made everything seem very straightforward. I cannot recommend Elizabeth enough.

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Super professional, very knowledgeable, very efficient, and very flexible in making himself available to meet in person even at short notice.

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We used best solicitors to purchase our property. It was so easy and stress free. I found the app to upload all our documents onto was very easy to use and understand. Communication was great, we were kept updated regularly and help was always there when needed. Overall experience was good, I would highly recommend them.

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I would highly recommend Best Solicitors. They provided a fantastic service and were only an email or phone call away for whatever I needed. Especially Chloe Birks, she went above and beyond to help guide me through the process as a first-time buyer. Thanks again!

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Having sustained an injury at work, I took a few months to decide if/how i wanted to proceed. However, as the injury continued to cause me issues and affect my health, I decided to approach Best Solicitors for legal advice. I am glad I did, the advice they gave me was honest, fair and informative and although they gave no guarantees of the outcome, they were supportive and reassuring to my situation. My solicitor was Stacey Smith and throughout the 4years my personal injury claim went on for , Stacey was supportive and reassuring and consistent in her approach and advice, until the very end when we got the outcome we had been waiting for. Given my own personaI experience, I would recommend both Best and Stacey to anyone in a similar situation.

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Amazing experience with BEST, Bethan and Kerrie very supportive and kept us informed all the way through the process, very quick to respond to queries and nothing too much trouble! Once again thank you so much!

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Been such a joy working with Steph. Nothing bad to say about the process. Prompt, Professional and on time; all the time. Can’t recommend enough!

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Mark

I dealt with Megan Armitage. She was very calm, professional, and very patient. She explained things I didn’t understand again and again without issues. She is very knowledgeable, and she always kept me informed of all information whether big or small. Thank you very very much Megan. You are simply the best and you are an asset to the company. It was lovely working with you.

Anonymous

Steph, Courtney, Emma and the rest of the team are simply incredible. An extraordinarily personable yet professional and highly effective group of people. Our move was complicated with Steph and Best having to liaise with an unbelievably poor firm that was handling the sale of our new house, throughout the entire process our emails and calls were returned within a few hours, providing constant updates and reassurance. I could not recommend Steph and the team at Best highly enough, they’re absolutely worth every penny.

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They are awesome – I don’t have enough words.

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Used this company as a first-time buyer, which is scary enough on its own but was completely felt as ease all way through with Bethan and Kerrie, could not recommend enough! Everything was on time, chased up and regular updates throughout. Will be using this company again in the future and will definitely be recommending to family and friends!

Amy

Positive excellent prompt friendly service. Reasonable price. Will strongly recommend to friends and family. We will definitely use the firm in future.

Mortilal

Chloe helped massively throughout the process of buying our first home, and gave professional and helpful advice to any, and all, questions that we had. She worked promptly and managed to get us to completion earlier than we expected. I still feel if we have any issues or further questions we would happily reach out to Chloe, all in all we are very impressed with the service and would definitely use again if needed or would recommend to a friend!

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Anonymous

My husband & I have recently had the pleasure of meeting Ellie who dealt with the process of helping us with our wills. Ellie was brilliant from start to finish explaining everything to us to make sure we understood everything. Would highly recommend anyone to get in touch with Best Solicitors. We are 100% happy with the service we had.

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Used Best Solicitors for years now because of Stephanie and will carry on doing so. Stephanie is so helpful and the knowledge she holds is phenomenal. Her attention to detail is second to none.

Thomas

Having shopped around for local conveyancers I chose to go with best due to the good feedback from previous customers. Steph, Emma and Courtney have been brilliant throughout the process of my purchase. Various hurdles were thrown up and the team dealt with them diligently and concisely whilst keeping me updated throughout. I will be using Steph and her team for an upcoming sale and would recommend them to friends and family.

Ben

Steph was extremely patient and helpful throughout the whole process. Steph was always on hand if needed. With this being our first mortgage, the process was smooth and extremely well explained. The branch as a whole is so approachable, we called many times due to having so many little questions to ask constantly and this was never too much trouble. Would use again and would highly recommend.

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