DEALING WITH GHOST TENANTS

01 November 2018

• Landlord and tenant law
• Landlord and tenant Law Liverpool
• landlord and tenant disputes
• landlord and tenant claims liverpool
• HMO
• House in multiple occupation
• Landlord and tenant law news
• subletting
• house squatter
• unauthorised tenant
• ghost tenant

Ghost tenants is the term used to describe somebody who is living at a property unofficially, which may be an official tenant’s guest, which can be very problematic for landlords.

 The most common occurrences of ghost tenants usually involves either an illegal squatter or unauthorised sub-letting, which is when the official tenant sublets the property to another tenant without the landlord’s permission. Both situations can establish a variety of issues, including:

• The landlord will not have checked the ghost tenant’s Right to Rent status and could mean that they may not even be eligible to live in the UK.
• The property can become overcrowded.
• If the property is classified as House in Multiple Occupation (HMO), then this can cause even more overcrowded issues, as tenants in HMOs usually share facilities such as kitchens and bathrooms.

If you are the landlord of a property and have discovered a tenant living at your property without your knowledge and consent, you must not accept rent from a sub tenant. If dealing with a squatter, you should inform the police on a non-emergency number. When dealing with an unofficial subletting then you should serve notice on the named tenant via email or mobile, and if necessary mention your intention to obtain possession in court.

Here at Three Graces Legal, our specialist solicitors can assist you with Landlord and Tenant disputes. 

Contact us on 0151 659 1070.