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Housing association threatens leaseholders with possession proceedings during lockdown
Notting Hill Genesis (NHG) has sent emails to a number of leaseholders during the coronavirus lockdown threatening to start possession proceedings due to unpaid rent arrears or service charges.
Inside Housing has seen an automated email sent by the 65,000-home landlord to several leaseholders during the lockdown ordering them to clear any rent or service charge arrears within seven days or risk facing action.
The email said: “Should you fail to do so within seven days we will, with regret, have no option but to approach your mortgage lender for payment or consult our solicitors to take action to collect payment of the arrears.
“This is likely to involve starting proceedings to forfeit your lease or take possession of your property. We will seek reimbursement of the cost of this process from you.”
The emails said NHG would not take enforcement action if the leaseholders’ arrears have “escalated due to the impact of COVID-19”.
The email comes despite courts in England suspending all possession hearings until 25 June after the government brought in a law banning evictions. This means landlords cannot evict tenants or start proceedings for any reason during this time.
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Veronica Rowland, who lives in a shared ownership flat in Canary Wharf, is one of the tenants who received this email from NHG.
She told Inside Housing she has been in a dispute with NHG over service charge costs since December last year and was due to visit the housing association’s offices to resolve the issue before lockdown was imposed.
Ms Rowland has now agreed a payment plan to repay the landlord the £670 it says she owes them, even though she is not sure the number is correct.
She said: “I have now arranged to pay back £56 a month for a year just so that I don’t get into any trouble over it.”
She added: “It’s really, really stressful...They shouldn’t be doing it, it’s lockdown. I’m self-employed and I’ve lost a lot of my work and they’re demanding this.”
A Notting Hill Genesis spokesperson apologised for any distress or anxiety caused by the automated emails and stated that they were not taking action against anyone who has suffered financial difficulty as a result of the COVID-19 crisis.
They added: “We have a series of messages that are sent out automatically to inform and then remind people that they are in arrears. These ensure residents are fully informed of the status of their account and encourage ongoing communication in case there is a need for additional support.
“While we have reviewed our arrears practices and messages in light of COVID-19, unfortunately some language in the fourth message in the series had not been changed appropriately. We are reviewing the content of all our automated messages to make sure they are fully in line with our current practices.
“We are not taking action against anyone who has suffered financial difficulty as a result of the COVID-19 crisis and if anyone is facing additional challenges we have highlighted a range of measures to support leaseholders and tenants such as payment pauses, benefit advice and welfare checks on older or vulnerable residents. Anyone struggling to pay their rent or service charge should get in touch with their dedicated officer immediately.
“We are committed to working with residents facing financial or other challenges whether due to COVID-19 or otherwise.
“Each household has a named point of contact who can support them through difficulties and outline their options.
“This includes going through the next steps if a resident wants to dispute service charges. In these cases, the officer is able to pause the arrears notifications while the matter is investigated, so we would encourage the resident to contact their named local officer.”
