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"It is completely understandable that the disgruntled landlord who has been badly treated by his tenant should feel entitled to demand instant action, especially as regards evicting the tenant," says Jacqui Savage, the Rawson Property Group's National Business Development Manager for Rawson Rentals. "However, he has to abide by the rules and cannot do this on his own."
These rules, says Savage, limit the agent's powers to issuing a warning that if arrears are not paid up legal action will follow.
"Landlords should avoid such legal actions as locking the tenant out or disconnecting services. These are criminal offences and can cause property owners more trouble than they bargained for," says Savage.
"There are, however, steps that the landlord is entitled to take in dealing with defaulting tenants before calling in legal assistance and these are worth knowing about because legal action can be both costly and time consuming and may not be necessary if landlords take the following actions as soon as non-payment occurs."
"Redressing the wrongs caused by an unsatisfactory tenant," says Savage, "is a long drawn out process that can take three or four months from the day when the tenant was first warned about his arrears or other matters. Almost invariably during this period the landlord will receive no further rent from the tenant and this certainly complicates the situation."
To avoid unfortunate situations of this kind, says Savage, it is essential to take great care in selecting the tenant, and it is here where a rental agent with access to a good credit bureau can be particularly useful.