If a tenant leaves your property without notice, you should try and contact them, check for signs that the property has been abandoned and secure the property before serving notice.
Tenants have a legal obligation to give notice before leaving a rental property; however, if they don’t, the landlord can start legal proceedings to repossess the property. Handling tenant abandonment can be tricky for landlords, both from a financial and legal perspective, but we can help.
At J Property Management London, we help landlords professionally manage their property and tenants, covering everything from sourcing reliable tenants to drawing up watertight tenancy agreements to protect landlords and their property assets. We ensure full legal compliance and help make sure that your property investment is profitable.
Contact us today to get started!
What Should You Do If A Tenant Abandons Your Rental Property?
If you believe that a tenant has abandoned your rental property without notice, you should take the following steps.
Contact The Tenant First
Always try to get in contact with the tenant before making any assumptions. If you can’t get hold of them, you can also contact their guarantor or any friends or family members if you have their contact.
Check For Signs Of Abandonment
Certain things can indicate that a tenant isn’t living in your property such as food that’s gone mouldy, piled up mail or other signs that the house hasn’t been taken care of for an extended period of time. To check for this, you should visit the property with someone objective and take photos of any items that have been left behind and the property’s general condition.
Secure The Property
If the property appears to be abandoned and you’ve already tried to contact the tenant with no luck, your main priority should be checking that the property is secure. For properties that seem secure (i.e. the doors and windows are securely locked and you can’t access from the outside), there’s no need to break into the property.
Serve Notices
The next step is to inform the tenant that you intend to regain possession of the property if they fail to contact you by a certain date. This should be a written notice delivered to the property.
If the tenant has left without notice and has outstanding rent, you’ll need to take out a Section 8 notice and fill in Form 3 to formally start legal repossession of the property.
Deal With Tenant Belongings
Any belongings left behind by tenants will become your responsibility if you take possession of the property. It’s important to store these belongings safely and for a reasonable period of time before selling them or getting rid of them, as the tenant could accuse you of damages or theft if they come back.
Notify Relevant Bodies
You’ll need to notify the council tax and utility providers that the tenant is no longer living in your rental property.
What Shouldn’t Landlords Do If A Tenant Leaves Without Notice?
If a tenant leaves without notice, there are certain things that landlords should not do as it could result in legal consequences. These actions include:
- Assuming abandonment before trying to get in touch with the tenant or any of their contacts
- Immediately changing the locks (to avoid being accused of incorrect eviction)
- Removing or disposing of belongings immediately
- Re-letting the property before you have legal possession.
How To Avoid Tenant Abandonment
Tenant abandonment (tenants leaving the property without notice) can leave landlords in a difficult situation. Not only does it mean a void period and a loss of rental income, but it can also mean costly and time-consuming legal action and a period of inactivity before being able to re-let the property. In other words, it should be avoided as much as possible.
There are certain ways landlords can try to protect themselves against tenant abandonment including:
Good Tenant Sourcing Practices
Good tenancies start with good tenants. With new laws offering tenants more flexibility and protection, it’s more important than ever to source reliable tenants that you can trust. Not only will good tenants take care of your property and maintain its value, they’re also less likely to lead to expensive and stressful tenant disputes or void periods in your property.
Outsourcing tenant sourcing to a professional company can make sure that you have tenants who are thoroughly screened and unlikely to cause you any issues.
A Strong Tenancy Agreement
Drawing up a strong tenancy agreement can help protect landlords in the case that there is a dispute with tenants as everything is in writing and signed by both parties. Tenancy agreements will lay out the notice period that tenants should follow when letting the landlord know they’ll be leaving the property. It also specifies that the tenant should give notice if they are going away for an extended period of time.
Having this clearly written in a tenancy agreement means that tenants know what’s expected of them and landlords have signed, written evidence that the tenant has agreed to this arrangement. If you’re not sure what to include, our tenancy agreement template is a good place to start.
Ongoing Tenant Support And Communication
Ongoing tenant support and communication can be a tiresome job but it will make sure that tenants are well looked after and that any issues are flagged early on. Not only will this make it less likely that tenants will leave without notice, it will also mean that any property damage or issues are dealt with as soon as possible before they escalate into something more serious.
Being on call for your tenants 24/7 can be a full-time job and might not be what you signed up for when you became a landlord. At J Property Management, we can do this for you, being on call for your tenants whenever they need so that they’re well-supported and your property is totally taken care of. Contact us today to see how we can help you stay on top of your tenants and keep them happy.
24/7 Tenant Support With J Property Management
At J Property Management, we can help you with your tenant management – from sourcing reliable, financially responsible tenants to drawing up watertight tenancy agreements and offering 24/7 support to prevent any issues.
When tenants aren’t well looked after it can lead to higher turnover, lost rental income and legal issues such as tenant abandonment or tenancy disputes. We’re here to help you avoid all of that and save you valuable time, money and stress.
Contact us today to see how we can help you stay compliant, keep your property well protected and retain great tenants. Get started today!
