Protection for people with rent arrears to end this month

Fri, 04 Dec 2020

Temporary rules that stopped Isle of Man landlords from evicting tenants with rent arrears during the Coronavirus pandemic will no longer apply from Boxing Day.

Protection for people struggling to pay for their accommodation was brought in under the emergency powers legislation.

The regulations only relate to a tenant’s failure to pay rent in full, or at all, and a landlord can still issue a notice of eviction for other reasons, like criminal damage to their property.

 Tenants are still liable to pay in full if they fall into arrears.

From the 26th December landlords should make individual arrangements with people who owe them money.

Chair of the Office of Fair Trading, Martyn Perkins says they should make reasonable allowances that take into account the financial circumstances of tenants who have lost income due to the effects of the ongoing pandemic.

Anybody struggling with debt is encouraged to contact the OFT.

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