Our enhanced Rent and Legal Protection

In January, we made the case that Rent and Legal Protection (RLP) should be everyone’s New Year’s Resolution - for more information click here. However, whilst some have abandoned the promises of getting healthy in 2021, and others have cast aside the diet – if you needed any encouragement to stick with our recommendation to protect your rent with RLP, then since 1^st March, the cover got even better.

Previously, when a tenant went into arrears, those landlords who had taken RLP had their rental payments covered for up to six months (or until vacant possession is achieved). However, from 1^st March, this has more than doubled - to 15 months.

In addition to this, the legal expenses cover, which comes alongside the rental protection increased to £100,000 – doubling from £50,000.

There’s an additional feature; in the event of a ‘Defended Matter’, the unpaid rent will be covered until the challenge is resolved.

These changes are very welcome. Although courts remain under pressure – we are still required to provide a tenant with six months’ notice when we want to serve a Section 21 possession – this was an increase from two months last year. Sadly, this meant that landlords had little chance of obtaining vacant possession before the rental payments stop under the old RLP terms.

And as courts will only allow bailiffs to undertake enforcement action in cases of extreme rent arrears – and that’s even presuming the case gets heard – then the six months’ rent would soon run out.

From 1^st March, all landlords who have RLP – provided they aren’t ‘in-claim’ – have transferred over to the new terms.

RLP can only be added to a fully-managed service, and therefore those who opted for a rent collect, or let-only service from one of our branches needs to change their service with us.

We can see a time where very few – if any – landlords will choose not to take out RLP, meaning even more rental homes have even better protection.

To arrange RLP for your rental property, speak to your local haart branch.