New repossession rules 'come in at wrong time'

New measures laid out by the government in the Consumer White Paper to protect tenants when their landlord is in arrears are not correct, according to the Association of Residential Letting Agents (ARLA).

The new rules will see tenants receive up to seven weeks notice of the date of their landlord's repossession hearing.

While ARLA welcomed the regulations, it warned in a statement that the protection "comes in at the wrong time of the repossession process, as the rules assume that a repossession order will be granted".

The statement continued: "If the repossession order is not granted and tenants agree a new contract with another landlord, they will have broken the law by reneging on a legally binding contract.

"Tenants need to be given adequate notice from the date a repossession order is granted - the government has done nothing to address this in its Consumer White Paper."

In addition, ARLA expressed disappointment that the government's attempt to provide legal protection for tenants will be legislated at "the next opportunity", labelling this as "far too vague".

ARLA warned that "both landlords and tenants need the government to take action now rather than making promises".

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