Ghost tenants is the term used to describe somebody who is living at a property unofficially, which may be an official tenant’s guest, which can be very problematic for landlords.

 The most common occurrences of ghost tenants usually involves either an illegal squatter or unauthorised sub-letting, which is when the official tenant sublets the property to another tenant without the landlord’s permission. Both situations can establish a variety of issues, including:

The National Landlords Association (NLA) has issued a warning, regarding tenants living in Houses in multiple occupation (HMOs) who may face an increase in rent or eviction. This is a result of the new government ruling that requires all tenants in shared houses to register with their local council.

Since Monday, there has been an increase of triple the number of houses registered with councils. This amounts to an extra 160,000 HMOs, who may face a surge in rental payments or eviction.  

The chief executive of the NLA, Richard Lambert discussed the new legislation, stating: