A private landlord has described housing allowance legislation introduced by the government last year as 'stupid'.
Under the current law, tenants in financial difficulty can apply for local housing allowance (LHA), which they are meant to pass on to their landlord if they have fallen behind on their rental payments.
However, one private landlord told the Huddersfield Daily Examiner that the system is failing, as tenants are not using LHA to pay their rent.
Instead, private landlords are facing legal costs worth thousands of pounds when they are forced to evict tenants who are in rental arrears, the article noted.
"It's the stupidest law ever brought in," the landlord said.
"There's nothing to stop a tenant going into a property, living rent free, pocketing the money and moving on," he claimed.
Simon Gordon, head of communications at the National Landlords Association, advises private landlords to establish good communication with tenants.
This will help matters if the tenant loses their job and applies for LHA, or if the landlord gets into difficulty funding buy-to-let mortgage repayments, he said.
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