TDS Resolution is a property mediation service that was originally launched in July 2020 to help landlords and tenants agree rent arrears repayment plans. With a clear demand for an alternative avenue to Court to deal with rent arrears being evidenced, we extended our remit in April 2021 (in association with the National Residential Landlords Association (NRLA)) to deal with a broader range of mid-tenancy issues.
So, what have we learnt about the issues landlords and tenants need resolving so far? With the private rented sector calling for rent arrears to be dealt with at government level, does our recent experience back those calls up?
I will take you through the numbers in this blog entry. But before that, it may be helpful for me to outline what issues/disputes we deal with.
The mediation service from TDS Resolution was extended this year to deal with the following:
Property standards
Repairs
Entry rights
Rent arrears
Threatened evictions
Breach of tenancy terms
Noise/Anti-social behaviour (except serious anti-social activity)
The most common tenancy issues reported to us since April 2021
Since April 2021, using a sample of over one hundred requests for assistance, we looked at the least reported issues first. Only 6% requested help with threatened evictions, 8% reported property standards issues, 9% had repairs issues and 11% reported a problem entering the property. The statistics demonstrate that these particular issues have required little assistance from us to date.
Then we looked at the big numbers and where the most common issues occurred.
Noise/anti-social behaviour accounted for 13% of reports followed by breach of tenancy terms (18%) and, finally, rent arrears at 35%. Looking at the stats alone, one could reasonably conclude that rent arrears is a pressing issue that needs to be addressed. Coupled with the NRLA report that showed around 800,000 tenants are now behind on their rent, the argument becomes even more convincing.
Should I consider mediation?
If you are a landlord or tenant and have a mid-tenancy issue you would like to resolve without going through potential costly and lengthy Court proceedings, mediation is a free option available to you.
How to get in touch
If you have an issue with an on-going tenancy and would like to try a property mediation service, fill out a follow-up request or request a call back to find out more.
About the Author
George Chrysanthou
Executive Assistant & TDS Resolution Coordinator
George joined Tenancy Deposit Scheme (TDS) in June 2019 as a Customer Service Advisor. Soon after, George was promoted to work closely with CEO Steve Harriott as his Executive Assistant. Since then, George has been involved in a number of new initiatives in a bid to raise standards in the Private Rented Sector. George has acted as lead on the TDS Resolution service since its launch George studied Law and Criminology at university prior to undertaking the Bar Professional Training Course and successfully getting Called to the Bar of England and Wales.
