Keeping your property safe and secure over the winter – LandlordZONE

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As a landlord, keeping your tenants and your property safe
and secure should be your top priority.

While property security is incredibly important all year
round, the cover of winter darkness and icy winter weather presents a greater challenge
for landlords and their tenants.

Earlier in the year, Hamilton
Fraser Total Landlord Insurance’s 10 years of claims report found
that insurance claims are more likely to occur during the winter months than in
summer. The rise in the number of claims during this time of year is partly due
to the harsher weather, and also the increased cover of darkness that helps to
embolden opportunistic criminals.

Luckily, there are a number of precautions that you can take
as a landlord to secure your property, and provide peace of mind for both you
and your tenants this winter.

Winter weather
conditions

Weather conditions that accompany the winter season bring an
increased risk of damage to your property. Snow, ice and damp weather can cause
problems for unprepared or poorly maintained properties. Understanding and
preparing for issues caused by severe weather can help to prevent unwanted
damages and costs further down the line.

While the UK may not face as severe winter weather as some
other countries, the UK is no stranger to certain severe weather events. Without
adequate preparation, severe weather such as storms, flooding and snow, can cause
major problems for your property and your tenants. Hamilton
Fraser Total Landlord Insurance report that 15.5 per cent of all
claims reported between January 2014 and January 2019 were for storm damage.

Property damage resulting from severe winter weather could include
broken roof tiles, falling trees, extensive flooding, collapsed fencing and frozen
and burst pipes, all of which could cost a small fortune to rectify.

It is therefore extremely important to understand the
precautions you can take to secure your property; they don’t have to cost the
earth. Some simple precautions include:

• Clearing your gutters of debris that could cause
  a blockage
• Inspecting the roof condition at regular
  intervals throughout the year
• Making sure that low hanging or loose tree
  branches are cut back to avoid property damage if they are dislodged during
  high winds
• If a storm is on the horizon advise tenants to
  secure outdoor furniture or pack away loose garden equipment

You can read more about how to protect
your property from severe winter weather.

Broken boilers – a
common winter issue

It is not just your property structure that may be at risk
from the winter weather. After a period of warmer weather during spring and
summer, many homes face boiler issues when it is finally time to turn them back
on. A cold, icy property is neither pleasant nor terribly safe for your tenants.

Preparing your boiler for winter doesn’t have to be
difficult; you can check your boiler health by:

• Carrying out a regular boiler inspection (both
  formal inspections from a professional once a year and an informal inspection
  yourself to look for any warning signs)
• Look for cracks and signs of leaks
• Check the pressure gauge
• Check and bleed your radiators
• Insulate your pipes

Read more about how to prepare your boiler for the winter months and the top five boiler problems and how to solve them.

Rise in break-ins

Break-ins spike every year around December through to
January, according to Hamilton
Fraser Total Landlord Insurance’s 10 years of claims report. Most
often this is caused by opportunistic thieves who can use the cover of darkness
to their advantage when breaking into your property.

In addition, the allure of presents under the Christmas
tree, or those left on the doorstep by the postman, can signal a potential
bounty for a burglar that is hard to resist. Luckily there are a number of
steps landlords can take and share with their tenants, in order to reduce the
risk of their property being targeted this Christmas.

• Invest in good quality doors and windows with
  secure locks and fittings to make it harder for thieves to gain access
• Consider using frosted reinforced glass – not
  only is this more difficult to break but also limits visibility into the
  property
• Make sure all property entry points are covered
  by the same level of security
• Advise tenants to keep their valuables out of
  sight
• Invest in motion triggered lighting outside your
  property – nothing acts as more of a deterrent for a burglar than being
  illuminated in the act!
• If you have a driveway, consider using pebbles
  or gravel, which can help to signal when someone is approaching the property
• If you have a garden make sure that tools and
  equipment are securely stored out of sight, or they could be used to break into
  your property
• Consider installing a security system
• Ask tenants to advise you if they are going away
  over the festive period so that someone you trust can keep an eye on the
  property and collect any post

You
can read more about how to keep your property secure over winter.

Keeping your tenants
in the loop

Maintaining a good relationship with your tenants is a great
way to make sure that your property remains safe and secure over the winter
period. As a landlord it is incredibly important to ensure that you have a positive
relationship with your tenants as they are your property’s eyes and ears.
Having a good relationship means tenants will be more likely to approach you promptly
if they notice an issue with the property, such as one caused by severe weather,
enabling you to address the problem before it escalates. . In addition, being
open with your tenants and sharing the above tips can help to prevent the
property falling foul to break-ins and burglary during the darker winter
months, as well as year round.

Despite taking precautions to protect your property, unfortunately
problems can still occur that cause not only damage but also security issues.
While tenants are responsible for protecting their own possessions, with their
own contents insurance, it is important that landlords make sure they adequately
protect their own contents and building. As a landlord, having a comprehensive
landlord insurance policy, such as that provided by Hamilton
Fraser Total Landlord Insurance’s, can also help to cover you for
the added risks that accompany a buy to let property, helping to keep your
property safe not just over the winter period but all year round.

Find out more about how a comprehensive landlord
insurance policy could help keep
your property safe and secure.

©1999 – Present | Parkmatic Publications Ltd. All rights reserved | LandlordZONE® – Keeping your property safe and secure over the winter – LandlordZONE | LandlordZONE.

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Tax changes forcing landlords into more efficient structures for their business

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The increase in portfolio and complex buy-to-let business seen over the past two years is set to continue in 2020, according to Paragon’s Director of Sales, Moray Hulme.

Recent tax changes have forced landlords to look for more efficient ways to structure their business

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Crisis Waiting to Happen

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Government plans to scrap ‘no fault’ evictions, reiterated in the Queen’s Speech, will dramatically increase the risk faced by private landlords and lead to the loss of thousands of homes in the private rented sector, the National Landlords Association (NLA) has warned.

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HMO Planning Changes in Croydon

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From the 28th January 2020 a new Article 4 Direction comes into force in Croydon Borough. The effect of the Article 4 Direction will mean that the conversion of houses to a small HMO (up to 6 people) will require planning permission across the Borough.

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Confirmed – no-fault evictions to be abolished

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Section 21:

After nearly 30
years of landlords’ protection under the assured shorthold tenancy
(AST), landlords’ assurance – that a property can be easily
repossessed if things go wrong – is to be lost.

The Queen’s Speech
yesterday, at the state opening of Parliament, set out Boris
Johnson’s government’s plans under a “Renters’ Reform Bill”
that is now slated to abolish the ‘no fault’ Section 21 evictions
process so favoured by residential landlords. Details of the
proposals are contained in a 151-page government briefing document
and referred to as a Renters’ Reform Bill:

“Abolishing the
use of ‘no fault’ evictions by removing section 21 of the Housing
Act 1988 and reforming the grounds for possession…[and]…Giving
landlords more rights to gain possession of their property through
the courts where there is a legitimate need for them to do so by
reforming current legislation. In addition to this we will also work
to improve the court process for landlords to make it quicker and
easier for them to get their property back sooner.”

The National
Landlords Association has described Johnson’s plans as “ruinous”
and likely to lead to an exodus of responsible landlords from the
private rented sector.

The NLA thinks the
plans will “dramatically increase the risk faced by private
landlords and lead to the loss of thousands of homes in the private
rented sector.”

The NLA, which
represents 42,000 members, is urging the Government to re-think its
strategy on residential evictions to “avoid creating an unnecessary
crisis in the private rented sector by ensuring that reform of the
court process is implemented alongside any change to tenancy
legislation.”

The NLA cites
research by Capital Economics, an independent consultancy, showing
that if Section 21 is abolished without any accompanying reform of
the law courts, the supply of private rented houses in England could
fall by 20 percent (960,000 dwellings) when landlord decide to
sell-up.

The research also
argues there would be a 59 percent reduction in the number of private
rented dwellings available to households in receipt of local housing
allowance or universal credit (770,000 fewer dwellings) when
landlords become more choosy about who they rent to.

Richard Lambert,
Chief Executive Officer of the NLA, said:

“Landlords need
certainty of their ability to end failing tenancies. If this cannot
be provided by Section 21 then the Government must reform the courts.
Strengthening landlords’ rights will make no difference if the
court process is seen as simply delaying or obstructing possession.

“The NLA is deeply
concerned that the Government will precipitate a housing emergency,
deepening the crisis of supply and affordability faced by many
households. Landlords will stop letting to tenants who are perceived
as higher risk and ultimately sell properties which would otherwise
provide much needed homes for those who cannot afford to buy.

“If ministers do
not address the problems of capacity within the Courts Service before
removing landlords’ ability to use the no-fault procedure, the
dramatic increase in cases that will be brought before it will bring
the system to its knees.”

The Residential
Landlords’ Association (RLA) warns that any change needs to have
the support of landlords who provide the much needed and necessary
housing, otherwise there could be a mass sell-off of properties.

The association is
advising the government that given that demand for rental housing is
currently outstripping supply, any re-possession process that removes
Section 21 needs to be replaced with “a system that ensures
landlords have the confidence that they can swiftly and effectively
re-possess properties in legitimate circumstances.” Without such
reassurance, the supply crisis in the market will only get worse says
the RLA.

David Smith, Policy
Director for the RLA, has said:

“We accept the
need to protect tenants from abuse but it is crucial that plans to
reform the way re-possessions can take place are got right if the
Government is to avoid a rental housing crisis. Unless the new system
is fair to good landlords as well as tenants, those same landlords
who we need to support simply will not have the confidence to provide
the rented homes that are needed to meet the demand.”

David Cox, Chief
Executive of ARLA Propertymark, the letting agents association has
said:

“In the absence of
any meaningful plan to boost the level of social housing in this
country, the announcement confirming the abolition of Section 21 in
today’s Queen’s speech is another attack against the landlords who
actually house the nation.

“If Section 21 is
scrapped, Section 8 must be reformed, and a new specialist housing
tribunal created. Without this, supply will almost certainly fall
which will have the consequential effect of raising rents and will
further discourage new landlords from investing in the sector.

“ARLA Propertymark
will be engaging with the Government to ensure they fully understand
the consequences of any changes, and we will be scrutinising the
legislation, to ensure landlords have the ability to regain their
properties if needed.’

Mark Steggles,
Partner at law firm Thomson Snell & Passmore LLP, says:

“The abolition of
section 21 notices is likely to be greeted with dismay by landlords
as it will make the task of recovering possession from tenants
tougher, longer and even more expensive. By removing the “no
fault” option to evict, it follows that the eviction process has
the potential to become acrimonious when currently it need not be
that way. The planned and overdue reforms to the court process may
lessen the impact on landlords, but possibly not to a material
degree. From a tenant’s viewpoint though, this change will be
embraced because of the additional layer of security of tenure that
it provides for tenants and their families who want to stay in a
property long term.”

Natasha Rees,
Partner and Head of Property Litigation, Forsters LLP, comments:

“Whilst greater
security for tenants is welcomed there are fears that the abolition
of Section 21 or ‘no fault evictions’ will have a significant
impact on the private rented sector. This is because landlords will
no longer be able to control the term date which in turn gives them
an ability to set a new rent. It is essential that the enhanced
system which the Government plans to put in its place reassures
landlords and allows them to retain the control they need to
repossess properties swiftly for legitimate reasons so that rent
levels remain market driven. Likewise, the lifetime deposit is a
promising concept but will require careful planning.”

©1999 – Present | Parkmatic Publications Ltd. All rights reserved | LandlordZONE® – Confirmed – no-fault evictions to be abolished | LandlordZONE.

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A third of landlords to sell off homes

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More than a third of private landlords are planning to cut the number of homes they rent out or exit the market altogether according to a new survey of over 2,000 landlords. Almost 34% of landlords have indicated they intend to reduce their investment in the market – a 30% increase over the previous twelve months, according […]

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Third of landlords looking to shrink portfolios

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Over a third of private landlords are planning to cut the number of homes they rent out or exit the market altogether over the next year according to a new survey of over 2,000 landlords.

The almost 34% of landlords indicating that they intend to reduce their investment in the market is a 30% increase over the previous twelve months according to the research conducted by the Residential Landlords Association.

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