I have had a dispute lodged against me as because I am trying to return to my home to live there myself. I verbally gave the tenants the correct no of days to vacate. Then I learned that I had to give them a special notice to vacate (example on PRTB website). I downloaded this, filled it in and presented it to tenants one week later but I dated it from the date of the verbal notice. BIG MISTAKE. This has allowed them to file a dispute claiming my notice is invalid and while I am waiting for my case to be heard I am going to be homeless. But this seems to count for nothing. The tenants can continue to live in my home while I have no home. I have enquired about the legal route but I am told the courts do not hear these cases, they have to go through the PRTB and their cases can take over 6 months to hear. I can't begin to explain how upset and distressed I am over this but I seem to have no rights. My tenants are paying considerably less than the market rate for my area and I have not increased rent in 2.5 years. I have only once called to see the house, last week. They have enjoyed total privacy and cheap accommodation but this is how I am repaid. My simple mistake has led to them using a loophole to go against me.
Everywhere I turn I can find no one to help me. The landlords have no rights any more. I will never ever rent a property again.
A word of advice to any landlord terminating a notice make sure you read the fine print on the PRTB website before issuing anything.
Another amazing point is that two different letting agents did not even know of the special contents of the PRTB form. They just give verbal notice. The world is a very very strange place................