Five tenants evicted in rent arrears clampdown

Published by Jon Land for 24dash.com in Housing and also in Communities, Legal

Chorley Community Housing (CCH) has evicted five of its tenants within the last three months over rent arrears that totalled almost £17,000.

One tenant in Adlington racked up £6,800 in arrears. The other four evictees were tossed out of homes in Chorley.

CCH has stressed that eviction is only used as a last resort and that the primary aim of its arrears team is to collect rent.

CCH Arrears Recovery Manager, Elaine Birtwistle, said: “Whilst eviction is a last resort, we continue to take strong action against people who persistently refuse to pay their rent or engage with us. We have a duty to other tenants to do this and the people who pay their rent on time want us to take action against those that don’t.

“The message about paying the rent on time is getting through. Overall, arrears are coming down and the majority of people who were behind with their rent are paying or making arrangements to pay. Unfortunately, a handful of people don’t prioritise the rent over other things and let the situation get out of control. Losing your home is not a cost effective way of sorting out any debt issues people have and our advice is always – come and talk to us.”