A NEW mediation service has been launched to help private landlords recover rent arrears without costly legal action and avoid tenants being evicted.

It has been developed in direct response to government measures that have been put in place to protect tenants during the coronavirus pandemic.

Currently, landlords are not allowed to evict tenants, a government ruling introduced as part of emergency legislation in March, that has now been extended until August 23.

Research published in May suggests one in eight private tenants may have fallen behind with rent in lockdown.

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The new service, which will cost landlords £150, has been launched by The Dispute Service (TDS) a not-for-profit organisation and aims to help owners reach a repayment agreement with tenants. According to Glasgow City Council sources, it will be discussed by the Scottish Government next week.  

Social landlords, including the GHA, have their own systems in place to deal with rent arrears.

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Steve Harriott, chief executive of TDS, said: “We deal with around 20,000 disputes a year across the UK and quite often we can resolve up to 40 per cent of these each month by using our telephone-based early resolution service.

 “We’re excited to be launching this service, which we’re sure will help landlords and tenants find a mutually agreeable way to deal with the tenant’s rent arrears, rather than pursuing the costly and time-consuming route of court.”