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“Holding onto anger is like grasping a hot coal with the intent of throwing it at someone else; you are the one who gets burned” - Buddha

The fact that retaliatory evictions have been legislated on as part of the Deregulation Act (2015) shows that there are some landlords out there with both poor business judgement and a lack of empathy. It is usually a lot cheaper to fix a problem than pay to evict a tenant and then risk void periods with no rent coming in or a new tenant that makes the same complaint.

As of 1st October 2015, if a tenant complains about disrepair that is not dealt with, a landlord will not be able to evict a tenant using a section 21. This is only for tenancies beginning on or after the 1st October.

The way it works is that if a tenant makes a legitimate complaint about disrepair at the property, the landlord or agent has 14 days for a written response detailing what action will be taken to address the disrepair. If no response or action is taken, the tenant can complain to the relevant local authority who can then serve an improvement notice. Once this notice is served, a section 21 will be invalid for 6 months from this date. Even if a section 21 is served before the maintenance issue arises and an improvement notice is served, this will still be deemed invalid (as long as they contacted the landlord before the council).

There are a few exceptions:

  • If the bad condition of the property is due to a breach of the tenant’s responsibilities
  • The section 21 is served when the property is genuinely on the market for sale
  • The landlord is a registered provider of social housing
  • The property was mortgaged prior to the tenancy and the mortgage lender wishes to exercise the power of sale and needs vacant possession

Of course, as there are bad landlords burning their hands with hot coals, there are bad tenants too. It is important that any communication is kept in writing so if a non-genuine claim of retaliatory eviction from a tenant arises, there is evidence to show the courts.

Haydar Sehri's blog

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ReviewerBrilliant agent, I have had one or two properties managed by them for almost 10yrs and no issues, fair pricing, quick service and honest. Often goes out of way to help, no issues with the tenants, the rents achieved are always strong and minimal void periods.
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Mr R Agil Newham
ReviewerI'd also like to say that Asdaq Sayed has been brilliant, first in finding a really good tenant and then in getting the house sold. He was also able to find a property for the tenant to move into, allowing the house sale to proceed swiftly. All along, he has been really good at staying in touch and keeping me informed. He arranged an Open Day for the property and managed to achieve a really good price.
C Arnall Beckton
ReviewerAsdaq/Homefinders dealt with this somewhat tricky transaction (in part because the seller was rather impatient and hotheaded, and in part because it was a slightly complicated purchase - a buy to let in which there were already tenants in situ, so he had to deal with quite a few questions from myself, and issues that I felt would have been slowed down by involving the solicitors). He also gave some good advice on the best way to proceed in a few situations, and helped to smooth the transaction process. To cap it all, he arranged to deliver the keys to me at the property on completion, timing this with my needs.
Mr W Walters East Ham
ReviewerThe Homefinders team were brilliant from start to finish. We sold and bought through them and they kept us up to date all the time, chased things on our behalf and were positive and supportive throughout. Never had such a pleasant experience with estate agents!
Ms G Garland Leyton
ReviewerHomefinders have been managing my property for the last 2 years under their 3 year lease scheme. My rent has always been on time and they have honoured everything they agreed with me at the beginning of the contract. I would recommend Homefinders wholeheartedly to all potential landlords especially their 3 year rent guarantee scheme. The manager at the Stratford office was very helpful.
Ms Wallington Redbridge
ReviewerMurat has been exceptionally helpful, friendly and easy to get on with. despite difficulty with referencing, he remained patient and reasonable. Would definitely recommend homefinders
Tina London
ReviewerWe would like to thank Homefinders and especially Asdaq, for the excellent service we received when we went through the purchase of our buy-to-let property. We found him very approachable, knowledgeable and professional. He would go out of his way to help clear up any uncertainties we would have, help us to chase things up and would always reply to our messages quickly. Because of Asdaq, my faith has been restored in estate agents. Highly recommended for anyone interested in buying or letting.
Mr P Davies Leyton
ReviewerI have used Homefinders for over 10 years to rent my flat in Leyton. They have always found tenants with minimum voids and dealt with all maintenance issues swiftly. I would recommend them.
Davies Leyton
ReviewerI use to switch agents every year until I found Homefinders. I’ve been with them for many years now. They’re professional, friendly and very efficient. They try to resolve issues as quickly as they arise and have taken care of my property. Their respond time to queries is excellent and they keep you informed every step of the way. I would like to thank Haydar and the entire Homefinders team for their commendable work. Who is dedicated, hard working and always looking to solve the problem. His customer relation skills are excellent. He deserves 6 out of 5. Keep up the good work guys!
Ms Kalsooma Hackney
ReviewerI have had many letting agents in the past but non like the excellent service I received by Homefinders. I started using their service over 3 years ago. They are super friendly, professional, efficient and communicative. They’ve never failed to notify me on issues on my apartment and works were carried out to my satisfaction. I appreciate the work relationship they established with the landlords. Their dedication to their clients is commendable. So, thank you - Haydar, Zahid, Gassan, Jasmine and all others in the office for your exceptional work.
Ms Lisa Stern London
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