Stay a landlord for long enough, and the chances are that at some point you will come up against some problem tenants. In general, the law has been moderated to give a greater level of protection to landlords against problem tenants.

Tenants are now required by law to:

           - Pay their rent promptly.

           - Take care of the property.

           - Avoid causing a nuisance to the neighbours.

           - Agree not to use the property for illegal or immoral purposes.

           - Obey all conditions of the tenancy agreement.

If they do not meet their obligations, they can be evicted. However, the fact remains that problems tenants have the capability to cause landlord's a large amount of stress, financial cost, and inconvenience.

Basic precautions that B.T.C Residential undertake against bad tenants include the withholding of a deposit and the inclusion of conditions within the tenancy agreement to end the lease on 'bad tenant' grounds.

Often it is difficult to prevent a bad tenant from being the way they are. However, we take the following steps to minimise the risks of a tenant turning into a problem:

           - Vet the tenants properly.

           - Take a deposit

           - Include the appropriate clauses in the tenancy agreement relating to the courses of action that              will be taken if a tenant does not meet his or her obligations.

           - Property inspection every 6 weeks (if managing).

           - Keep the lines of communication open.