Generation Rent slammed over its claim that landlords ‘fake’ eviction grounds

Propertymark has dismissed analysis by Generation Rent that suggests landlords are simply re-letting properties after evicting tenants by claiming they want to sell up.

Generation Rent studied 125 cases in Scotland between 2018 and 2021 where the landlord was seeking possession on ground 1 (an intention to sell) and checked whether each property had been sold and was still on the landlord register.

The tenants’ protest group claims that nearly one-third of those who evicted tenants in order to sell the property had failed to sell it more than a year later, while 9% of cases of tenants being evicted on grounds of sale saw the home sold to another landlord who had re-let the property.

Another 14% were still on the landlord register, suggesting they had been re-let.

Misleading

Daryl McIntosh, Propertymark’s policy manager for the UK devolved nations (main picture), says this is a misleading analysis of a very small sample of tribunal cases to feed the group’s narrative of an abused possession system.

“It is pure speculation to suggest any properties within this analysis that are either yet to be sold or still on the landlord register have been re-let,” says McIntosh.

“As Generation Rent acknowledges itself, the register is unlikely to be up-to-date because there’s no legal requirement for a landlord to do so once a property has been sold. Property sales can also be delayed for legitimate reasons including a protracted possession.”

He adds: “To pre-empt the intentions of a prospective purchaser is unreasonable, so a landlord cannot be expected to pursue a sale without first ensuring vacant possession.”

Generation Rent wants extra protections for tenants who face eviction for reasons beyond their control, including a requirement for landlords who wish to sell to advertise the property with a sitting tenant before seeking eviction.

The English government is currently considering how to introduce a similar ‘register’ for landlords and their properties.

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