Council report highlights regional rent arrears

The report was carried out in recent weeks by the South Bedfordshire District Council and concludes that with courts reluctant to rule against tenants or force them to clear their rent arrears, a debt solution in this case is proving difficult to find.

Local paper Luton Today reports that rent payments were due from former and current council housing residents, which amounts to £480,000 and £530,000 owed respectively by these groups in the region.

“Some council tenants, like the general public, have considerable debt and there is little fear factor in being in debt to the council,” Carol Rooker, who carried out the report, is quoted as saying.

“This is becoming increasingly true, especially with the current reluctance of the courts to authorise someone’s eviction despite their very poor payment record,” she added.

A report released last week by the Registry Trust revealed that the number of County Court Judgments issued in the UK increased by around one third over the course of 2006.