It’s time to root out criminal landlords

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The RLA wants councils to commit to rooting out the criminal landlords giving the sector a bad name, following the publication of the University of York’s report on private rented housing today. The association, which contributed to the report, said it is time local authorities showed strong political leadership and used powers already at their disposal […]

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Live Webinar Interview with Mark Alexander and Ant Lyons from YPN Magazine

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Property118 founder Mark Alexander has agreed to participate in a live webinar interview hosted by Nina Hirons from YPN Magazine at 8pm on Thursday 13th August. They’ll also be joined by YPN Co-Founder Ant Lyon’s to take a quick look at his investments from a property tax perspective.

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Am I going nuts? – James ‘BreakTheHousingMarket Shire’

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On 3 year tenancies which he wanted, in July, Housing Secretary, James Brokenshire, announced the plans to extend tenancies, justifying these by stating:

“It is deeply unfair when renters are forced to uproot their lives or find new schools for their children at short notice due to the terms of their rental contract.

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Personal use of property in Limited Company?

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I have a small portfolio of BTL houses and am in the process of buying an apartment within my Limited company. It’s a very nice upmarket place and there’s a chance that in 2 or 3 years’ time I might like to move there on a permanent basis or perhaps only for a few months a year

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Section 21: The Bigger Picture

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Tenant Evictions:

Paul Samplina of Landlord Action comments on a recent report issued by Citizens Advice (CA) claiming that tenants who complain about conditions in their rental properties are likely to be served a section 21 eviction notice by their landlord.

Citizens Advice has released the report titled “Touch and Go�, claiming that tenants who complain about repair issues, such as damp, condensation and mould, have a 46 per cent chance of being issued with a section 21 eviction notice within six months. The charity claims this has affected about 141,000 tenants since 2015.

The CA report says that complaining “dramatically increases a renter’s chance of getting an eviction notice when compared to people who do not complainâ€�.

My first concern with this report is how these figures have been sourced and therefore their accuracy? Many tenants do not know why a section 21 notice has been served; it is a no-fault eviction notice, therefore landlords are not obliged to give a reason.

It’s entirely possible that many of the tenants surveyed by CA did have a maintenance complaint, but it is not necessarily the reason the landlord was seeking possession.  It would not be possible to have such detail without questioning every landlord in the tenant survey that has served a section 21.

At Landlord Action, we know from experience that the vast majority of section 21 notices are served for one reason and one reason only: rent arrears.

As a result of rent arrears, other breaches of the tenancy, or because tenants are staying in the property after they have requested re-housing by the council, and are awaiting a court order to enable this, landlords are obliged to seek possession.

The court systems are simply too slow to keep up with the number of possession cases using section 8 on the rent arrears ground.  Therefore, many landlords choose to forgo the overdue rent and simply want their property back as soon as possible, even though the section 21 so called “accelerated possession procedure� can take 9 months.

My second concern is that the charity argues the figures show that recent laws (provisions for retaliatory eviction in the Deregulation Act 2015), designed to prevent families and other tenants in the private rented sector from being evicted after raising a complaint, have not worked.  I would dispute this.

Figures released earlier this year by The Ministry of Justice (MoJ) show that the number of accelerated possession cases (section 21 no-fault eviction) are in fact on a downward trend, with nearly 5000 fewer cases in 2017 than in 2016. Previous figures had followed a modest upward trend since 2010.

This, in my opinion, demonstrates that the measures introduced are working and fewer landlords are using the section 21 accelerated procedure.

Since the introduction of the Deregulation Act 2015, tenants have an opportunity to make a complaint in writing to the landlord (or to the landlord’s agent) regarding the condition of the property. The landlord then has 14 days to respond to the complaint.

If the matter is not dealt with, the tenant can then make a complaint to the relevant local housing authority who has the power to issue an improvement notice or hazard awareness notice.   If a tenant has taken these steps and a landlord has not complied, a section 21 notice served in England would be invalid and any possession claim struck out.

Also, under the Deregulation Act 2015, a section 21 notice has a 6-month life span from the date the notice is dated. It is a case of use it or lose it.  If a landlord lets the notice run out without starting court proceedings, it is no longer effective and must be re-served if the landlord wishes to subsequently take court action. Previously, before the law change came in, we were being instructed to act on notices which were up to four years old!

A major issue we constantly encounter is tenants not following recommendations on heating and ventilation, and not to dry clothes on radiators etc., to prevent the buildup of damp, condensation and mould.  These tenants will invariably prevent access to the property by the landlord or the landlord’s agents, who want to take remedial action before the problem becomes too great. Tenants who allow the buildup of condensation and mould do untold damage to the property itself.

What would be most interesting, in relation to the CA results, would be to see statistics from local authorities on how many hazard awareness/improvement notices have actually been issued. This would give a truer indication of disrepair issues.

My advice to all tenants is, if you feel your landlord is not taking your complaint seriously, put a formal request for repairs in writing as soon as possible.   Under the Deregulation Act 2015, a landlord cannot serve a section 21 notice until the issues are dealt with. If the landlord ignores the outstanding repair issues, then it should be reported to the local council.

We have no room in our industry for rogue landlords making tenants’ lives miserable and everyone should have the right to live in a pleasant and safe environment.  However, I do believe there are far more honest and professional landlords than there are rogues, who are by far in the minority.

This constant war and bad press against good landlords will eventually drive many of them out of the market, leaving tenants with far less choice of accommodation.  Any legislative changes should provide a good balance between protecting the interests of tenants, but also, and this is important if enough rentals are to be provided, the investment interests of landlords.

I think that the changes the government has already implemented are making a difference. Any plans to dilute the use of Section 21 even further, I think, need to be considered very carefully so as not to upset the delicate balance between landlord and tenant rights.

Paul Shamplina, Landlord Action

www.landlordaction.co.uk

Condensation, the Landlord’s Curse…

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Leasehold Houses Scandal

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Thousands of homeowners are stuck in properties they cannot afford to continue living in and cannot sell, because they bought them as leasehold. In most cases, buyers were unaware of what being a leaseholder would mean, and some didn’t realise they were only buying the lease until it was too late.

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Big Incentives to Assist with Housing Crisis

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LettingSupermarket.com are working with several boroughs throughout the UK to help them reduce their housing needs lists.

The following financial incentives are being offered through this scheme:-

• grants
• up-front payment incentives
• and in many cases we can even source Rent Guarantee Insurance.

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Selective licensing 101

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Selective licensing is a location-based government provision that requires landlords in selected areas to hold licenses that enable them to legally rent their property. If your property is in an area that has implemented selective licensing then you’ll need to apply for a license.

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Keeping costs down when refurbishing HMOs

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Compact Kitchens:

Costs can spiral with a large refurbishment project, and keeping a tight grip on budgets while getting a series of properties ready to rent out can be a challenge.

When it comes to kitchens, the temptation to go for less expensive, lower quality appliances and storage options is worth ignoring – costs might be cut, but the last thing a landlord needs is a host of unhappy tenants further down the line. So, what’s the solution?

If you haven’t already, it’s worth considering all-in-one compact kitchens. These are prebuilt units that arrive on a pallet ready to install, and the installation process itself is quick and straightforward – all that is needed is for the box to be unpacked and the kitchens maneuvered into position.

Reducing the number of man hours needed for this stage of a project has obvious appeal.

They are also particularly suited to a variety of HMO projects, and in a situation where space is at a premium, such as small flats or studio apartments, they come into their own.

Elfin Kitchens’ compact, all-in-one kitchens measure from 900mm up to 1500mm wide, and each unit comes either with or without hotplates, and with whichever combination of integrated storage, sink, tap and appliances is best suited to the property’s requirements.

The kitchens are available in eight different colours to suit a selection of interiors, and at a variety of price points. At the lowest, the Entry range offers complete simplicity with a fridge, sink and two-burner hob combined in a single unit, but there are a whole range of flexible options above that.

These options go right up to the company’s Premium 1500 product, which can be adapted to consist of a fridge, one or two under-sink cupboards, a sink and drainer, and tap. In addition, it’s also possible to incorporate a solo microwave, combination microwave or convection oven and grill, and even a six-place integrated dishwasher.

To create a superior, high-end result, the Studioline system can be included with each kitchen unit to link the wall cupboards, splashbacks and side panels.

The high-end feel can be enhanced even more when incorporating the ‘Premium bespoke’ models that have luxury touches such as soft-close drawers and doors, plus a choice of induction or ceramic hotplates with built-in safety cut-out timers. They come in right- and left-hand configurations, and there are accessible versions available too, which provide wheelchair access to meet the inclusive design requirements of the Equality Act 2010.

An added bonus for landlords is the fact that Elfin’s modular kitchen units are built to last. Manufactured in Germany from hardwearing powder-coated steel, the kitchens are extremely robust, which is ideal for certain specifications, such as student accommodation.

Finally, Elfin’s customer service is second to none. The company holds many of its models in stock and it can generally deliver within three working days, or even quicker if necessary. If Elfin doesn’t have a unit in stock, then it can normally deliver within 10 working days. It can also deliver up to 70 kitchens direct to site within two weeks of order.

As the kitchens are guaranteed for one year from the date of delivery, if there are any initial problems they are usually straightforward to iron out. So landlords looking for a high-quality, cost-effective option when embarking on a refurbishment project could find that all-in-one compact kitchens are the answer.

http://elfinkitchens.co.uk/

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Why Section 21 is necessary

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Currently there is a nationwide campaign headed up by Generation Rent and supported by Salvation Army and Crisis amongst others. The campaign has over 50,000 signatures so far calling for section 21 to be scrapped.

No-fault evictions

Section 21 evictions

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