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We are still seeing examples of employers failing to serve the correct documentation before handing over the keys of a cottage to new farm workers. They think they are granting an assured shorthold tenancy (AST) and that they will be able to recover possession in due course without too much trouble. Instead, there is a good chance that they will have inadvertently granted an assured agricultural occupancy which enjoys greater protection.
If, as an employer, you want to be sure not to grant a tenancy with enhanced protection, you need to serve a “Form 9” landlord’s notice on your prospective tenant.
De-regulation is not the name of the game when it comes to letting a house to a farm worker. We’ve condensed the various rules, spread across different pieces of legislation, into a checklist for farm employers, set out below.
Checklist for assured shorthold tenancy agreements
If you would like further information about housing farm workers, contact Sarah Whitehurst on 01775 842508
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