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Landlord to be given a say in “right-to-rent� court case

Right-to-Rent:

Landlords are to be given a major role in a court case
considering the future of the Government’s Right-to-Rent scheme.

 The Government has decided to appeal against a damning
criticism by the High Court earlier this year that the Right-to-Rent scheme breaches
human rights law because it causes racial discrimination that otherwise would
not happen.

Following a Judicial Review of the policy secured by the
JCWI and supported by the RLA, the presiding judge concluded that
discrimination by landlords was taking place â€œbecause of the
Scheme.â€� In his judgment he said that discrimination by landlords
was â€œlogical and wholly predictableâ€� when faced with potential
sanctions and penalties for getting things wrong.

The Court of Appeal has today agreed that the Residential
Landlords Association will be able to make a written and oral submission to the
case ensuring that the views of landlords are to be at the centre of the case.

Under the Right-to-Rent policy, private landlords face
potential imprisonment of up to 5 years if they know or have “reasonable cause
to believe� that the property they are letting is occupied by someone who does
not have the right to rent in the UK. It was introduced by Theresa May when
Home Secretary as part of the Home Office’s hostile environment for immigrants.

 Last month, the RLA, together with the JCWI and
the3million which represents EU citizens in the UK, called on Boris Johnson and
Jeremy Hunt to scrap the Right to Rent if they became Prime Minister.

David Smith, Policy Director for the Residential Landlords
Association, said:

“The Right to Rent has been a failure. No one has been
prosecuted under the scheme but it has created a great deal of anxiety for
landlords who do not want to go to prison for getting it wrong.

“We are disappointed that the Government has chosen to
appeal against what was a clear and damning verdict by the High Court. However,
we will ensure that the views of landlords are well represented as we send a
message that they should not be used to cover for the failings in the UK border
agencies.�

• A date for the appeal is yet to be set.
• The full High Court ruling on the Right to Rent can be accessed here
• The RLA’s most recent research on the Right to Rent can be accessed here
• The Independent Chief Inspectors of Borders and Immigration report on the Right to Rent can be accessed here The foreword notes state:

“Overall, I found that the RtR scheme had yet to demonstrate
its worth as a tool to encourage immigration compliance, with the Home Office
failing to coordinate, maximise or even measure effectively its use, while at
the same time doing little to address the concerns of stakeholders.�

Research by Oxford University’s Migration Observatory
notes: 

“The foreign-born population is almost three times as likely to be in the private rental sector (41% were in this sector in the second quarter of 2017), compared to the UK-born (15%).� Further details can be accessed here

The Residential
Landlords Association represents the interests of landlords in the private
rented sector across England and Wales.

©1999 – Present | Parkmatic Publications Ltd. All rights reserved | LandlordZONE® – | LandlordZONE.

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Launching a fabulous opportunity in Leeds

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Property Investor Partnership is delighted to have secured four, 2 bedroom houses in Leeds, for the discounted price of £152,995.  These properties have been discounted by 10% off current list prices and also include flooring, turf and white goods in our discounted price.

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Government needs to avoid breakdown of trust

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The Government urgently needs to provide tenants with better information on their rights and responsibilities if it is to avoid a breakdown of trust between renters and their landlords, the National Landlords Association warns.

New research, commissioned by the NLA

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Criminal Gangs subletting luxury flats in London

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Illegal Sub-letting:

London landlords with properties in Mayfair, Knightsbridge
and Belgravia are being targeted by gangs of criminals who rent their luxury
homes.

They invariably pay not rent, but let them out to a series
of mainly Middle East visitors on short stays, earning thousands of pounds in
the process.

Given the tenancy laws as they stand, it takes the landlord
up to 12 months to regain possession of their properties, whilst the criminals have
been happily raking in rent, and invariably the properties are in a poor state
of repair when they are eventually recovered.

Ironically, the Government is considering moves to make rental properties even more difficult to recover by the removal of the no-fault Section 21 provision in the 1988 Housing Act, whilst, despite clear evidence of criminal intent, the overstretched London police at Scotland Yard refuse to act claiming that tenancy problems like this are a civil matter.

Police chiefs are advising landlords and letting agents to
be extra careful when vetting tenants for these luxury accommodations, while
still refusing to intervene.

Patrick Bullick, managing director of a central London
estate agency and chair of the London branch of the National Association of
Estate Agents (NAEA) told the Sunday
Times that the rise of Airbnb and other letting websites is facilitating
this criminal activity – “thousands of properties are being misused in this way�,
he said.

One landlord quoted in the Sunday Times said that in the 5 months it took to remove the tenant
she saw 80 different people enter into short-term lets, whilst she lost around
£100,000 in legal fees, unpaid rents and repairs for the dilapidations. It took
another landlord nearly 12 months to regain possession at a cost of £70,000.

©1999 – Present | Parkmatic Publications Ltd. All rights reserved | LandlordZONE® – Criminal Gangs subletting luxury flats in London | LandlordZONE.

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Annual house price growth 5.7%

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The Halifax House Price Index shows June’s annual change figure of 5.7% growth coming against the backdrop of a particularly low growth rate in the corresponding period in 2018, which has had an impact on year-on-year comparisons. The average house price now stands at £237,110.

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£186,657 paid out to tenants – SafeDeposits Scotland

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During the last 18 months more than 200 landlords from across Scotland have been found in breach of a law designed to protect tenants’ deposits, according to research carried out by SafeDeposits Scotland.

Since 2012, landlords in Scotland that take a deposit from their tenant have been required

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What to do now we have moved away?

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I have been an avid reader of this site and you kindly helped me before, so perhaps I can ask again for some advice? I have a 3 bed semi in Pegswood, near Morpeth, Northumberland, which used to be my home.

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Rents rise just above inflation and tenancy duration drops

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THE latest data from HomeLet shows demand for rental properties remaining high and in examining the data from the last five years, HomeLet has found that the UK as a whole has experienced a 13.9% growth in rental values (12.5% when London is excluded).

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Squatting in Commercial Premises – Don’t wait to seek help

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In 2012, a change in law made squatting in residential property a criminal offence. The inevitable consequence of this was an increase in the number of cases of squatting in commercial premises.  Squatting has now become a real issue for commercial landlords and property managers

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Time to consider Derby for property investment

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Derby is an often-overlooked area when it comes to property investment. However, with the arrival of HS2 it will soon come into the limelight.

Much of Derby’s property is undervalued but it is expected that the arrival of HS2 will push prices up significantly.  

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