Jenrick silent on PRS in conference speech

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Anyone watching Robert Jenrick at the Conservative Conference hoping for news on the PRS would be sadly disappointed – or could it be no news is good news? The Housing Secretary told the party conference in Manchester there was a need to build new homes ‘of all tenures’ and outlined a four-point plan for housing. […]

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AST for tenant’s lodger?

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My tenant in a very popular area of the city occupies a Victorian terraced house with three double bedrooms and two receptions. She is self employed and has been there for over three years living with her two children.

The house is under utilised as it is easily big enough to accommodate four adults which is my preferred model of tenancy.

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Section 21: RLA research in new Commons report

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RLA research looking at Section 21 repossessions has been quoted extensively in a new report by the House of Commons Library. The Commons Library has published a paper providing background on the use of Section 21 of the Housing Act 1988 to gain repossession, and the government’s plans to abolish it.  Ministers announced the controversial proposals on April […]

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Welsh Government backs working groups recommendations on De-carbonation of homes

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Proposals put forward by an independent working group looking at the decarbonisation of existing homes have been backed by the Welsh Housing Minister. The RLA contributed to the working group as an independent stakeholder. The purpose of the group was to scope out recommendations for how to country could meet its goal to reduce the […]

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RICS publishes advice on fire safety

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Fire Safety:

Following on from
last week’s fire door safety week, the importance of fire safety in
rental property and high rise blocks is emphasised to property owners
further by the publication of The Royal Institution of Chartered
Surveyors (RICS) fire safety guide. It highlights the
responsibilities of landlords and tenants in keeping properties safe.

According to RICS,
there is still a continuing problem and a significant number of
deaths and injuries each year from fires in residential properties.
The RICS guide therefore has been written with landlords, homeowners
and residential tenants in mind.

RICS says:

“With recent fires in residential property, there is an urgent need for the public, landlords and residents to be aware of what can cause fires and the measures they should take to stay safe. RICS is acting in the public interest in publishing this fire safety guide, which we hope will be of benefit widely.�

The guide has been
prepared by RICS Chartered Building Surveyors and a “multi-discipline
advisory group� experienced in the complex area of fire safety
design and regulation. The advice covers fire detection, reacting to
and extinguishing fires as well as guidance on accessibility and
special needs assistance.

For rented or shared
accommodation (HMOs), the guidance includes defining landlords’
obligations with appliances, furniture and alarm systems, clarifying
exactly where responsibility lies in these situations.

For residents, the
guide emphases the importance of acting quickly and safely in the
event of a fire in a residential home. This including smoking,
including e-cigarettes and vaping, candles, electric circuit
overloads and furniture. It says “the most fundamental fire
precaution to take is to plan and memorise escape routes.�

Last week’s Fire Door Safety Week was organised by the British Woodworking Federation, with the aim of stamping out bad practice and raising awareness of the important role that fire doors play.

There are a number
of resources for landlords and tenants on the link above to the fire
door safety website.

Helen Hewitt, Chief
Executive of the British Woodworking Federation, has said:

“We all need to
feel protected, and especially so when we are asleep. Fire doors play
a vital role as the first line of defence against fire and smoke,
containing their spread while buildings are evacuated. But they must
be properly installed and maintained, and good fire safety practice
must be shared and followed.

“That’s why we
continue to raise awareness every year through Fire Door Safety Week.

“Good practice is
especially important in buildings with multiple occupants and
residents who may be vulnerable. It is quite literally a matter of
life and death.�

Practical tips for landlords on fire door inspections are available on the fire door inspection website

Only certified good
quality fire doors should be installed by a competent installer and
regular fire door inspections should be carried out by persons
responsible for the management of a property.

Door frames,
ironmongery, door closers and fire seals are just as important as the
door itself – these all work together to provide a fire tight
barrier lasting long enough to enable escape and prevent the spread
of the fire.

©1999 – Present | Parkmatic Publications Ltd. All rights reserved | LandlordZONE® – RICS publishes advice on fire safety | LandlordZONE.

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Section 21 ban would devastate PRS

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The private rented sector (PRS) would shrink by 20% if Section 21 ‘no-fault’ evictions are banned, according to a new economic analysis report*.

A new deal for renters? The unintended consequences of abolishing Section 21, by Capital Economics on behalf of the National Landlords Association (NLA)

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Newly separated mother with children?

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I have just had an enquiry for my rental property from a lady with 2 children who is about to separate from her husband. They are currently in rented property.

As the decision has only just been made

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Philosophers consider envy to be evil and destructive

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Property118 member, author and landlord campaigner Dr Rosalind Beck was able to ask the fourth question last night on BBC’s Question time presented by Fiona Bruce in Cardiff.

The question presented to the panel including James Cleverly MP

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Norwich Council – False claims and hypocritical action

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A recent article concerning Norwich Labour Council’s attack on Section 21 has been responded to by a letter ( below ) to the Norwich Evening News.

Readers are encouraged to email individually to ‘press’ for the matter to be covered.

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Next grows profits as rents high streets decline

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High Street Retail:

Next boss Lord
Wolfson says that Next was cushioned by his online ‘head start’,
while he feels “concerned� for the future of the high street when
competitors are struggling to survive. Next was fortunate to have the
head start it had with its online sales, which have boosted its sales
and high street rents are now being cut.

As reported by
Isabella Fish of Drapers online, Next’s profit before tax
grew by 2.7% to £319.6m in its half-year results to 31 July,
full-price sales were up 4.3% and total sales, including markdown,
were up 3.8% on last year. While in-store sales fell by 5.5% to
£874.3m on the same period in 2018, and online sales grew by 12.6%
to £1bn.

Lord Wolfson cited
the “head start� Next had with its online business as a major
factor in its success compared to other retailers, moving from a
catalogue model to online:

“We were
incredibly fortunate that we started this millennium with a mail
order business because a mail order business has, in essence, all the
assets of online – other than a website – that you need for
online trading.

“We had the
delivery network, we had the systems, we had the warehouses and the
customer-base. Because we had that base from 1995 onwards, that has
been enormously helpful to us over the last 20 years,� said
Wolfson.

According to
Drapers, Next’s website was launched in 1999 and cost £7,000
to build and launch. Its Label business, selling third-party brands,
increased 26% on full-price sales with total sales, including
markdown, up 29% in the first 6 months of 2019, compared with 2018.

At the end of the
first half of 2019 Next had 499 stores, and Wolfson admitted to
Drapers that he is worried by the number of high street store
closures:

“Of course it’s
a concern, but it’s a concern we’ve tackled head-on. It’s not
going to be painless and we’re not through the woods yet, but with
the extent and speed that rents are being cut and the relatively
short-term that leases are being offered, we can see a way of
managing that decline in such a way that the group continues to
prosper.�

For the year ending
January 2020, Next says it expects to renegotiate 37 leases,
achieving rent reductions of 28% and renewing for an average lease
term of 4.2 years.

“The conversations
we’re having with landlords are matter-of-fact, not
confrontational. At the end of the day, there’s a price at which we
can afford to keep shops open and a price at which we can’t, and we
give that option to the landlords,� says Wolfson.

“I feel badly for
landlords in a way because the rents being so high is not the fault
of retail landlords, we have built rents up to where they are and
we’re now paying the price of that. As and when leases are coming
up for renewal, we’re offering the landlord what we can pay to keep
the shop open for the duration of the term they’re offering us.

“Firstly, average
rents are coming down by about 28%. Secondly, on average we’re
taking a four-year term of lease. So, we’re reducing both the risk
and the costs.�

©1999 – Present | Parkmatic Publications Ltd. All rights reserved | LandlordZONE® – Next grows profits as rents high streets decline | LandlordZONE.

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