New legislation makes life harder for landlords

New legislation will make it harder for landlords to resolve a dispute with a tenant, a Harpenden agent says.

From August 15, landlords will only have one opportunity to submit evidence supporting a dispute claim to the Tenancy Deposit Scheme (TDS), not two (as is currently the case).

Ensuring that all relevant documentation is included and communicated from the outset in is therefore more important than ever if a successful outcome is to be achieved.

In addition, the changes to the way in which disputes are handled by the TDS will mean that only one tenant will be able to raise or respond to a dispute; and either the member agent or the landlord will be able to respond to a dispute, not both.

Not surprisingly, agents believe that a property management service can make all the difference, taking on the responsibility of submitting a dispute on the landlord’s behalf and ensuring all relevant information is included.

Ryan Green, Head of Savills Harpenden Lettings, says: “Out of the small proportion of Savills tenancies that result in dispute, our statistics show that a successful outcome is twice as likely if the dispute is submitted by Savills rather than a private individual, highlighting the increased importance for landlords of utilising a property management service.”

For more information, see www.savills.co.uk/landlord-fees