Landlord Advice on Moving Out Self-Isolating Tenants

The government has recently made it clear as to how landlords and letting agents should deal with the issue of self-isolating tenants who are due to move out of a property. Junior Housing Minister Eddie Hughes has said that accommodation providers are ‘strongly urged’ to be flexible when it comes to extending tenancies and delaying moving tenants out if they are isolating due to COVID-19.

The question of how to handle with self-isolating tenants who are due to move out of a rental property was posed to the government following a BBC news report. The report concerned a group of students who were preparing to leave their rented accommodation, when one of them tested positive for COVID-19. This meant that the student in question, and her three housemates, were all legally obliged to self-isolate.

Students broke the rules

As their tenancy was due to come to an end, the students made the decision to break the rules and move back home, despite the self-isolation requirement. However, their motivation was money-orientated, with their landlord threatening to charge them a month’s rent and a 30-day cancellation notice fee, as well as covering the cost of putting up the incoming tenants whilst they waited for the property to become available, which would have totalled thousands.

A government spokesperson commented to the BBC that students who are required to self-isolate should seek to put off their move with support from their university, adding: “We strongly urge accommodation providers and private landlords to come to amicable agreements with students, and to change move dates to ensure students are able to complete their self-isolation periods.”

“Landlords should respect isolation periods”

Speaking to LandlordZONE, the National Residential Landlords Association recommends that landlords should respect the required isolation period during which households should not move, saying: “We also encourage landlords to show as much flexibility as possible to support their tenants and help efforts to halt the spread of the virus.”

Under The Health Protection (Coronavirus, Restrictions) (Self-Isolation) (England) Regulations 2020 however, if someone is legally obliged to move, they are allowed to do so even if they are self-isolating.

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