1 Property, 3 Ts: 2 Ts want other to leave but T wont go. Now 2 Ts threatening to go

[MTJL]

Background:

I am a Landlord with a 3-bed flat which is currently occupied by 3 Tenants. Each Tenant has an individual agreement. Two of the Tenants have been residing at the property for over 1.5 years, the other has been there 5 months.

Current Situation:

I recently had a phone call from both of the longer standing Tenants expressing their concerns over the behaviour of their newest flatmate. Unfortunately, they had both been stewing over it for some time without discussing their concerns with their flatmate and have now both become very unhappy to the point where they want the new flatmate to leave. Otherwise they both will consider leaving.

Not wanting to get directly involved at this point, I advised the 2 Tenants to hold a "house meeting" where all 3 of them could voice any issues or concerns and hopefully resolve the matter amicably among themselves. This they did and the 2 longer standing Tenants reported back to me that their flatmate had said that she would find somewhere else and aim to move out by March 1st. I informed them that I would have to wait for the other Tenant to formally give notice to leave.

This morning I received messages from all 3 Tenants. The newer Tenant said that she talked to the other 2 but didn't want to leave. The other 2 Tenants said that the newer T had become hostile towards them and that if she didn't go that they would both look for new accommodation.

Please help. What should I do???

The 2 longer standing Tenants have been great Tenants. They have well looked after the property and always paid their rent on time. I do not want to lose them. I would rather the newest Tenant leave (if you read below, you may understand why).


Here's the twist (this is what the 2 longer standing Tenants have told me):

- The newer T has very dramatic mood swings. She has admitted to the others that she is a regular user of Class A drugs (no evidence of drugs in the flat).

- The newer T brings back different partners most weekends and often wakens the other Tenants in the early hours of the morning with loud sounds of sexual activity. The other 2 Tenants are uncomfortable with seeing so many different men in the flat and have concerns over their security and safety.

Any help and advice on how - as a Landlord - I should best handle this situation would be most gratefully received.

Thanks in advance.

[Snorkerz]

It is difficult, you don't want to pander to the tenants, yet if anything they say is true, hen you can understand their concern.

Your only real option is to evict the newer tenant - presuming she is on a 6 month contract you could issue a section 21(1)(b) notice with an expiry date 2 months hence.

You could serve a section 8 notice under ground 14 and seek possession immediately, but it is not guaranteed to succeed.

[westminster]

Are the two 'good' tenants on fixed term contracts, or are their tenancies periodic? i.e. are they actually in a position to end their tenancies within a fairly short period?

Either way, you need to get rid of the problem tenant, so I'd serve notice ASAP - it might, with any luck, prompt her to moderate her behaviour, or offer to surrender voluntarily. It may also reassure the 'good' Ts that you are taking action and, although eviction isn't a speedy procedure, the problem T will eventually be removed.