If your church or Christian organisation is the landlord of residential property leased using an Assured Shorthold Tenancy (‘AST’) then there have been some amendments to the law that you need to know about.
From October 1st 2018, all ASTs in England are subject to the Deregulation Act 2015 (DA 2015) even if they were granted before October 1st 2015 (when the DA 2015 came into force). This means that there are new rules in relation to the way in which ASTs in England can be granted and terminated and there are restrictions to the landlord’s ability to serve a notice under section 21 of the Housing Act 1988 to terminate the AST.
If you are a landlord, you are not allowed to serve a section 21 notice to your tenants until you fulfil the following requirements of the DA 2015:
- You must have complied with certain statutory obligations as a landlord. For example, you must provide your tenant with an energy performance certificate (free of charge) and a gas safety certificate.
- You need to supply your tenant with a copy of the current version of ‘How to rent: The checklist for renting in England’
- You must now ensure that the prescribed form section 21 notice is used.
To discuss any legal questions you have about your property get in touch with our property team.
This information has been provided by solicitors working for Edward Connor Solicitors. It is designed for the purpose of knowledge sharing only and does not constitute legal advice.
