Naming and shaming of rent dodgers

I recently came across this article about some Scottish landlords that have resulted to putting signs outside tenants houses who have failed to pay their rent.

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The move has been started by Lease2keys.

Director Elaine Stenson said: "It's quite a drastic measure and a novel approach to the problem, but it's something we had to do.

"We feel the public will be rightly concerned that their taxes, some of which is used for housing benefit, are not reaching their intended target.

"Millions of pounds are being lost across Scotland through unpaid rent because under current guidelines, no action can be taken against a tenant until they are over eight weeks in arrears."

This campaign comes of the back of the recently introduced Local Housing Allowance that requires that the rent is paid directly to the tenant.

There is growing coverage of how the system appears to be failing landlords despite the government claims that the system is working well.

Landlords who think about taking similar naming and shaming practices of bad tenants should be cautious that they don't fall fowl of the law relating to harassment contained within the Protection from Eviction Act 1977.

We think that naming and shaming is too timid anyway. What we really want is a good public flogging or beating!

Should we name and shame bad tenants?

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