REVEALED: THE COST OF BAD EVICTION ADVICE

The average cost to a landlord of their tenant being advised to ignore an eviction notice stands at nearly £7,000, according to a recent survey of landlords.*

Private tenants are often advised by local councils and agencies to ignore eviction notices served by their landlords – and to wait until evicted by bailiffs – in order to qualify as homeless and thus eligible for rehousing.

The latest findings from the National Landlords Association (NLA) reveal that the mean total cost of a tenant being advised to remain in a property is £6763.

In addition, half (47 per cent) of tenants who have been served a section 21 eviction notice by their landlord say they have been told to ignore it by their local council or an advice agency such as Shelter or the Citizen’s Advice Bureau (CAB).**

The news comes as the National Landlords Association (NLA) is due to give evidence to the Communities and Local Government (CLG) Select Committee today (Wednesday 14 September) on the Homelessness Reduction Bill.

The Homelessness Reduction Bill, as introduced by Conservative MP Bob Blackman, amends the Housing Act 1996 to expand councils’ duties to prevent homelessness by:

  • Providing that Section 21 Eviction Notices are proof an applicant is threatened with homelessness
  • Doubling the definition of threatened with homelessness from 28 to 56 days

The NLA has long campaigned against councils advising tenants to ignore eviction notices and in March, 2016, the then Housing Minister Brandon Lewis wrote to all local councils in England to clarify homelessness guidance.

Richard Lambert, Chief Executive Officer at the NLA, said:

“We have consistently campaigned on this issue, but despite many warnings to councils and agencies, this damaging advice is still being given out to tenants.

“Possession cases can take a very long time to resolve, and aside from putting an unnecessary strain on everyone involved, not to mention the Courts, these findings demonstrate just how costly the advice can be.

“Bad, or incorrect, advice hinders rather than helps landlords and tenants who are often already in a desperate situation. It will inevitably damage landlords’ confidence in the local authority and tenants may be put at much greater risk of having nowhere to live.

“We hope that this Bill will achieve its aims of reducing homelessness by giving tenants the support they need while incentivising the good work that landlords already do in communities across the country.”

Blog post by: Alex Brent alex.brent@landlords.org.uk

Christopher Walkey

Founder of Estate Agent Networking. Internationally invited speaker on how to build online target audiences using Social Media. Writes about UK property prices, housing, politics and affordable homes.

You May Also Enjoy

Breaking News

Estate Agent Content

Do you think that your estate agency / property business requires content? Is content marketing still a thing in 2025? Are you concerned if anyone will read your words? Is it worth investing in estate agent content? Businesses with blogs generate 67% more leads than those without. As competition for attention online increases it remains…
Read More
Breaking News

The cost of voids rises by £200 for England’s landlords

The latest analysis by Dwelly, one of the UK’s leading lettings acquisition and success planning experts, has found that landlords have been hit with a 26% increase in the cost of void periods in the past year, equivalent to lost income of almost £200. Dwelly analysed average void period data from March 2024 and March…
Read More
Breaking News

Breaking Property News 5/06/25

Daily bite-sized proptech and property news in partnership with Proptech-X. Demand Rises for Housing and Infrastructure Projects Rising demand for housing, infrastructure and energy projects across Wales has driven continued growth at Lichfields’ Cardiff office, which this year marks 25 years in the capital. The team of 17 planning professionals is one of the largest…
Read More
Breaking News

Construction continues to enjoy a season in the sun

Underlying performance is on the rise during Q.2 2025 Today, Glenigan, one of the construction industry’s leading insight experts, releases the June 2025 edition of its Construction Index. The Index focuses on the three months to the end of May 2025, covering all underlying projects, with a total value of £100m or less (unless otherwise…
Read More
Love or Hate Rightmove
Breaking News

Busiest May for sales agreed since 2021

The latest insights from Rightmove show that it was the busiest May for agreed property sales since 2021, and the busiest out of any month since March 2022 May is typically a busy month in the year for agreed sales, but this year’s figure highlights the improved market conditions, as home-movers carry on following the…
Read More
Breaking News

New anti-money laundering rules now in effect: what landlords need to know

New anti-money laundering (AML) rules came into effect this month, marking a significant change for landlords and the lettings industry as a whole. The new rules mean financial sanctions checks are now required for all lettings, regardless of how much rent is charged. Here, Steve Bond, managing director of residential lettings for Beresfords, explains what…
Read More