My tenant in Wales moved in back in 2014. Whilst the property had/has an epc certificate I did not give them a copy. Unfortunately due to family complications I now need to evict the tenant. The tenant has been great - no issues - just him and no problems. However, my family problems coupled with the new laws coming into effect has meant I now wish to give this rental game up for good and move back in. Can I evict the tenant with a Section 21? I believe at the time epcs didn’t need to be given to the tenant and if the law has changed I missed this one. Any advice gratefully received. Thank you/
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i do not blame you leaving the welsh landlord arena. More landlords will do so in Wales .The Welsh gov is power crazed. I lived in beautiful Wales but never had a rental property there as I saw what was coming for landlords. Mark my words they will bring in additional taxes in the next few years. PS .My neighbours were great and so was my location, location location.
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I would suggest talking to the tenant first. If he’s been great then hopefully he’ll be understanding and leave amicably.
Just springing the section 21 without any warning can really break the relationship, and make it more likely you’ll have to go through the whole court process. And if there’s a risk that the section 21 isn’t valid anyways, you definitely want to avoid court.
I think you can give him a copy of the EPC now. Again if he leaves willingly that’s the easiest for everyone.
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Thank you both. I will talk to the tenant but don’t hold up much hope as he has said multiple times it’s his home and plans to leave it in a box. Never say never though I could be wrong. Good luck with all the new changes coming in, wish you much success.
If there have been no new tenancies since 2014, the prescribed information requirement for s21 don’t apply. You can check your validity here: Section 21 flowchart - Nearly Legal: Housing Law News and Comment
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It may be worth talking to a local tenancy legal specialist first. Make sure you understand what this will look like if he doesn’t want to move out. Eviction isn’t an easy process - you don’t just get the property back after two months.
It is possible that he has been saying that more to assuage you - assure you that he isn’t planning to ditch you as a tenant. He may understand that your situation has changed and you need the property back.
If he is serious and will put up a fight, just make sure you know what that process looks like. It sounds like you’ve been through the ringer already and it may be wiser to figure out how to make this so far positive relationship keep working than get into a stressful legal mess.
Of course it also is your property and you have a right to evict. Im only warning not to jump in thinking “I file the section 21 and tow months later I can move in with no other issues” and end up blindsided by the process of taking it to court.
Thank you - this is good to know and very helpful.