Nottingham Council follow up letter – Making 350 homeless

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Follow up letter to Nottingham City Councillors regarding disastrous Selective Licensing that will force me into making 350 people homeless

Dear Rav & John,

Regarding your letter dated 2 March 2018.

You say you are not sure if I’m aware

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What paperwork do I need if joint tenants break-up?

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My property is occupied by joint tenants who are about to break-up after 11 months of a 12 month AST agreement.

When visiting two weeks ago, one of the tenants told me that his partner had moved out and that he may want to leave if he and she decided that their differences were irreconcilable.

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RLA reveals new identity

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RLA’s new image:

The Residential Landlords Association today (Monday) reveals its new corporate identity, as the “home for landlords”.

For the last two decades the RLA brand has been synonymous with trusted information and advice, quality training and robust campaigning and research work.

Now, to coincide with the RLA’s 20th birthday, it has undergone a total rebrand to reflect the changing landscape of the private rented sector (PRS) and the dynamic attitudes of modern landlords.

While it may not look the same, the association will continue to offer all those services members have come to rely on and more, with a new conference programme and a range of 20th anniversary celebrations planned this year.

RLA chairman Alan Ward said:

“The RLA is a very different organisation from the one we launched 20 years ago and our original logo has served us well.

“Always innovative, we needed to
reflect the
modern values of
landlords and renting and
the new logo makes that statement emphatically.

“Our mission to advise, inform, educate, represent and protect our members remains unchanged.

“We’re extremely proud of how much the association has grown over recent years and we want to continue evolving and welcoming new members.”

Chief Executive Andrew Goodacre added:

“Our new identity is more than a rebrand, it is part of our aim to empower better landlords and change the perceptions of landlords in the mainstream media – an ongoing battle.

“We believe our powerful and contemporary new look will make us more approachable, more powerful in campaigning and more accessible to members, politicians and academics.”

• The Residential Landlords Association: The home for landlords
• The RLA represents the interests of landlords in the private rented sector across England and Wales. We’re home to over 50,000 landlords nationwide, with a combined portfolio of over a quarter of a million properties. A growing community of landlords who trust and rely on us to deliver day-to-day support, expert advice, government campaigning, plus a range of high-quality services relevant to their needs.
• At the RLA, we understand the challenges faced by a landlord – after all, we’ve been fighting their corner for over 20 years. Providing the expertise, support and tools they need, so they can do the right thing – for themselves, their tenants and the industry as a whole.
• We campaign to improve the private rented sector for both landlords and tenants, engaging with policymakers at all levels of Government.  Our vision is to make renting better for everyone involved in the private rented sector. We will go the extra mile to deliver an informed, better educated and more supported membership community.
• Further information about the RLA can be found at http://www.rla.org.uk/aboutus or by following it on twitter @RLA_News

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JRF report is a missed opportunity to sort out Government’s mess

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The Joseph Rowntree Foundation (JRF) has once more commissioned work on ‘how to improve’ the private rented sector, using researchers from the Cambridge Centre for Housing and Planning Research. I have previously critiqued their work Click Here.

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Should I appeal Judge’s decision on renewal fees?

admin    Uncategorized     agents

I went to county court on Friday and the Judge at first said I had not submitted counter claim and that I would not be able to speak. I then told him where my counterclaim was on the papers submitted by the estate agent with my writing on it.

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Agents will need to check their landlords’ EPC ratings

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Find EPC Rating:

Checking out a rental property’s EPC rating is a relatively simply process that any agent or landlord can do instantly online. Providing the property has had an Energy Performance Assessment done within the last 10 years, (EPCs last for 10 years and usually cost between £70 and £100) the information is available from the MHCLG website – see below.

With the coming of the MEES (Minimum Energy Efficiency Standard) regulations in April, letting agents, and indeed landlords themselves, will need to make sure that a property is reaching a minimum energy efficiency standard of “E” before it is marketed to let.

New regulations coming into force this April 1 mean that residential landlords and their agents are obliged to ensure that their rental properties meet the required rating before a new or a replacement tenancy is granted, or otherwise they will face heavy penalties.

The penalty for renting out a property on a new or renewal tenancy for any period of fewer than three months will be in breach of the MEES Regulations and will be equivalent to 10% of the property’s rateable value, subject to a minimum penalty of £5,000 and a maximum of £50,000. After three months, the penalty rises to 20% of the rateable value, with a minimum penalty of £10,000 and a maximum of £150,000.

Also, in two years’ time, even with existing tenancies – 1 April, 2020 – it will become illegal for residential landlords to continue letting out a property if they have not addressed the issue of energy efficiency and ensured the property meets the minimum “E” EPC rating.

Another pressing reason for doing this is for mortgage renewals. Under the new mortgage regulations, underwriting standards for buy-to-let mortgage contracts, issued under the Bank of England’s Prudential Regulation Authority, new buy-to-let mortgages and renewals require proof that

Mortgage lenders granting new finance deals will typically require properties to be revalued. If single rental properties or properties in a landlord’s portfolio do not meet the minimum MEES standards after April, value could be affected would possibly result in mortgage applications being turned down.

Find the EPC rating for a property instantly online using the property address here

Guidance for landlords and Local Authorities on the minimum level of energy efficiency here

Underwriting standards for buy-to-let mortgage contracts here

New Energy Regulations could scupper mortgage renewals

©1999 – Present | Parkmatic Publications Ltd. All rights reserved | LandlordZONE® – Agents will need to check their landlords’ EPC ratings | LandlordZONE.

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