Choice Rentals - Professional Letting Agents | Page 24

Rent Arrears
What does Choice Rentals do when my tenant fails to make a rental payment?
Where rent is outstanding for more than five working days after it becomes due, we
endeavour to notify you at the earliest opportunity. Over the next twenty-eight days we try
to contact your tenant by various means in order to elicit payment.
If these steps prove unsuccessful, further action should be taken to recover the arrears.
Thismay include referral to our debt collection partners or starting legal proceedings to gain
possession. Records of our efforts, including copy correspondence, are kept and made
availableto you or your solicitors.

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Tenantswho cannot pay their rent often ignore our attemptsto contact them.
Our keeping of records to elicit payment is important should you need to go to court.

How soon can I start legal proceedings?
Generally speaking, tenancies to individuals* where the annual rent does not exceed
£100,000 will fall under the Housing Act. The Act provides for legal proceedingsto
commence once the tenant is two months in arrears. Asrent is usually payable monthlyin
advance, proceedings can start once the tenant misses two monthly payments.
At this point, a we will usually recommend issuing a Section 8 Notice confirming to the
tenant that you are seeking possession for late payment of rent and arrears. This Notice is
valid for twelve months, and so remains useful should the tenant initially clear their arrears