LANDLORDS LAUNCH NEW SERVICES TO COMBAT ROGUE TENANTS

Half of all court applications for possession notices, submitted by private sector residential landlords, are doomed to fail.

And basic mistakes in completing the paperwork could be costing them over £17 million a year.

Plus the loss of rent while the possession process faces up to another seven months delay.

The Residential Landlords Association - whose members own over 100,000 private rented properties throughout the UK - is now launching a major counter-attack to ensure that Section 8 and 21 notices to quit are properly submitted to the courts.

A new piece of software on the RLA's website makes it easier for landlords to complete printable forms. And a personal checking service, which then searches for errors before they are submitted to court, has just become one of the association's top three member benefits.

Because, if there are mistakes, they cost more than the loss of the £150 court fee.

"An applicant often doesn't discover there's a problem until the court hearing - up to two months after lodging the possession summons," says RLA trainer and helpline manager, Dave Absalom. "The process then has to be started all over again.

"In the meantime the tenant is legally entitled to stay in the property and, even then, a landlord may have to apply for bailiffs to evict. The loss of rent, and possible damage to the property, adds up to a considerable sum.

"From the number of notices we have seen so far, 55% have been defective and would have been thrown out by the court. But we spotted the mistakes and saved members a total of nearly £10,000."

Blank Section 8 and 21 forms are now part of a specialist tenancy management software package on the Residential Landlords Association website at www.rla.org.uk.

The software also contains printable tenancy agreements with the facility to personalise them and electronically store details for each of a landlord's tenants and properties - including rent amounts, frequency of collection, late payment costs, tenant receipts, witness details and renewal reminders.

The Residential Landlords Association (tel: 0845 666 5000) is a leading national organisation for professional landlords, residential property investors and self-managers - with members owning over 100,000 properties in the UK private rented sector. The range of members' services - on www.rla.org.uk - includes legal advice, insurance, financial services, credit referencing and training. For tenants there is www.tenantdocs.co.uk - where tips include a free download of the RLA's award-winning Plain English tenancy agreement. The RLA operates a web-based property search on www.homes2rent.net and publishes the bi-monthly Residential Property Investor magazine.

For further press information and interviews please contact

Brian Johnson at Powell Communications - tel: 0161 834 9836, fax: 0161 839 2660; brian.johnson@powell-pr.co.uk