Exclusive: Brighton says new HMO rules will be among the ‘toughest in the UK’

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After a consultation and a green light from the Secretary of State, the city’s new property licensing net is set to get much tighter on June 6th.

Brighton and Hove Council is
set to hit landlords with some of the toughest licensing rules in the country.

The new regulations will prevent family homes
from being sandwiched between two HMOs and prevent three properties in a row
from being turned into shared houses.

The council already
rejects
HMO applications near its universities when there are more than 10% of HMOs
within a 50-metre radius, but it now aims
to limit the number to 20% across more of the city.

Brighton and Hove contains some
5,000 licenced HMOs, serving the city’s large student population and young
professionals, and has seen increasing numbers of family dwellings converted to
HMOs.

As a result, many residents are concerned about the numbers and concentration in some areas.

Planning permission

Current licensing rules limit the
number of family homes being converted into shared houses in areas closest to
the two universities, but now new HMO developments will require planning
permission anywhere in the city.

The tougher rules are among a
package of measures in a ten-year city plan that aims to tackle some of the
indirect effects of HMOs, such as reduced demand for school places.

Councillor Tracey Hill, chair of
the city’s planning committee, says: “The new policies will be some of the
toughest approaches to HMO development in the country. 

“We know HMOs provide essential
low-cost accommodation for people living and working in a city where rents are
high. Our policies are not designed to stop all HMO conversions, but to limit
over-concentration in a particular area.”

The new rules take effect on 3^rd June.

Read more about property licensing in Brighton.

©1999 – Present | Parkmatic Publications Ltd. All rights reserved | LandlordZONE® – Exclusive: Brighton says new HMO rules will be among the ‘toughest in the UK’ | LandlordZONE.

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BREAKING: DWP gives tenants a ‘rent arrears holiday’ as it suspends third party payment collections from Universal Credit

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Department of Work and Pensions says latest change will help streamline the overloaded benefits system as it faces unprecedented demand from claimants, but landlords say this will delay how long it takes to recoup unpaid rent.

The Department of Work and Pensions (DWP) has confirmed that third party deductions from Universal Credit (UC) payments are to be suspended until May 10^th as Ministers attempt to streamline the system.

This, the DWP claims, is designed to free up civil servants to process the hundreds of thousands of additional benefit applications received during the Coronavirus crisis.

Third party deductions are usually taken from payments to pay rent and other bill arrears, including council tax.

But the change will mean thousands of landlords who are owed back-rent by tenants in receipt of Universal Credit will now have to wait longer to get their money back.

Although housing associations have been told about the change, private landlords are left to fend for themselves when significant decisions like this are taken by the DWP.

No communications

“Private landlords get no direct communication about UC in any shape or form from the DWP and, for example I’ve had four of my tenants lose their jobs and begin receiving benefits recently but no one from the DWP has been in contact to tell me about when I’m going to get the housing element of those payments,” HMO landlord Nick Sturgeon tells LandlordZONE.

“I find it frustrating that tenants are having the personal element of their UC payment fast-tracked d during the crisis, but landlords are being ignored.

“Coronavirus has exposed the weaknesses in the UC system and makes people like me wish yet again that Housing Benefit was still in place.”

Disappointed

The Scottish Federation of Housing Associations has said that it was disappointed that landlords had not been give more warning about the changes, “which would have allowed landlords to engage with those affected and to make voluntary arrangements wherever possible”.

LandlordZONE has approached the NRLA for comment.

©1999 – Present | Parkmatic Publications Ltd. All rights reserved | LandlordZONE® – BREAKING: DWP gives tenants a ‘rent arrears holiday’ as it suspends third party payment collections from Universal Credit | LandlordZONE.

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Labour want ‘Triple Lock’ for tenants

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A new Covid-19 Housing Delivery Taskforce to tackle the challenges Covid-19 poses to the London housing sector has met for the first time and is chaired by Labour’s Deputy Mayor for Housing and Residential Development, Tom Copley.

The group will consider how the sector can adapt and maintain resilience and also look at specific support needed from Government that would be effective in maintaining housing supply and providing confidence in the market.

The post Labour want ‘Triple Lock’ for tenants appeared first on Property118.

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LATEST: 10% of tenants entered into rent payment plans during March, research reveals

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Lettings platform Goodlord says its research among 124 agents and 20,000 tenancies last month reveals that the impact of the lockdown on the private rental market was limited.

As many campaigning groups predict a rent payment meltdown among struggling tenants during the Coronavirus crisis, a leading lettings firm has reported that late payments have increased by just 2% and that only 10% of tenants have entered into payment plans so far.

Proptech firm Goodlord examined 20,000 tenancies run by 124 lettings agencies across the UK last month to produce the figure, which it says shows that the vast majority of renters are so far keeping up with their rent, although the figures do not cover April.

Goodlord also say that few of the landlords registered on its platform made rental insurance claims on their policies, again suggesting that rent defaulting has yet to become a serious issue.

Since March 11^th there has been a ‘modest’ increase in late payment behaviour, Goodlord says, increasing by 2% more properties than usual still owing rent after seven days, or an increase from 4% to 6%. 

Among
the lettings agents surveyed, 70% said that they have agreed payment plans with
less than 10% of tenants so far, further indicating that the financial impact
of the pandemic has yet to impact most tenants.

“Despite only being a month since lockdown began, the late payment figures for the rental industry are so far fairly steady, “ says Goodlord’s COO Tom Mundy.

“At the same time, agents and landlords are gearing up to offer more support in the months to come. “Many agents, along with their landlords, are thinking about how they can offer flexibility, support, and guidance to tenants who might start to struggle.”

Read more articles about rent payment.

Advice: How to stop tenants falling into arrears.

©1999 – Present | Parkmatic Publications Ltd. All rights reserved | LandlordZONE® – LATEST: 10% of tenants entered into rent payment plans during March, research reveals | LandlordZONE.

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Most tenants ‘confused’ about paying their rent during Coronavirus crisis

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Research shows widespread lack of understanding among renters many of whom have incorrectly linked landlord mortgage holidays to ‘rent holidays’ for themselves, research by Goodlord suggests.

The government’s eviction ban messaging has led to widespread confusion among tenants about their responsibilities to pay their rent during the Coronavirus crisis, research has revealed.

Some 120 property management firms were asked about attitudes among renters and 84% said their tenants were confused about whether they were still legally required to pay their rent.

This, even a quick trawl of tenant chat rooms reveals, is because the ‘mortgage holidays’ offered to landlords are assumed to be a blanket deal without strings and that, therefore, tenants should be let off their rent.

In reality, landlords must prove their tenants are in financial straits, and their mortgage payments are only deferred, rather than waived.

Of the agents surveyed by Goodlord, 70% said they had agreed payment plans with less than 10% of tenants so far, indicating that the financial impact of the pandemic has yet to significantly impact the rental market.

Also, the same research looked at 20,000 rental properties across the UK during March and found that late rents increased from four to six percent of all payments.

This contradicts other recent reports including from Shelter which have pointed to much higher rental payment default rates among tenants, and is backed up by further research that shows only a small number of landlords are making claims on their Rent Protection insurance for lost rent.

Claims remain below 1% of rented properties covered, the research shows.

NOTE: By ‘late rental payment’ Goodlord means rent owing after more than seven days after its due date.

©1999 – Present | Parkmatic Publications Ltd. All rights reserved | LandlordZONE® – Most tenants ‘confused’ about paying their rent during Coronavirus crisis | LandlordZONE.

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Video emerges showing ‘property guru’ Samuel Leeds ranting at teacher during course

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The extraordinary clip, which was filmed two years ago by Leeds and shows how aggressive he can get during events, was later taken down but has now re-emerged on YouTube.

A video has been posted online of self-styled
property guru Samuel Leeds verbally abusing and publicly shaming a keyworker on
one of his courses.

During the shocking rant, Leeds labels a
teacher who yawns during one of his courses as “stupid”.

Leeds then embarks on a loud tirade, shouting
at the man: “If you spent 12 hours with me, and you didn’t learn anything new
and you didn’t have any questions to ask or anything that you didn’t know, why
the frick are you still a teacher?

“It’s like saying, I don’t need driving
lessons. Then why haven’t you got a car then? Why aren’t you driving? Why are
you here? It’s because you’re stupid. You didn’t ask the frickin’ question. If
you know everything there is to know about property you would be financially
free in a couple of weeks.”

At the end of the rant, Leeds shouts: “Please
ask the questions that you don’t know…you haven’t got my brain which is why
you’re working, so get my brain!”

Vanessa Warwick, co-founder of
PropertyTribes.com, says the clip was filmed by Leeds and originally
posted to his followers online to show he was
passionate about helping people.

But after the death of Danny Butcher – who took his own life after losing money following his attendance at a Leeds Property Investors academy – she says Leeds had a clean-up of material that showed him in a bad light.

Someone has since re-uploaded
it online and the video is now on the Property Education Truth Seeker channel.

Warwick says: “It’s very odd behaviour –
being so abusive, rubbishing a keyworker, and then thinking it’s a good idea to
post it. He’s outed himself.”

Leeds is currently offering online courses, with a trial offer of just £1 – whereas his standard courses cost thousands.

Watch the video

©1999 – Present | Parkmatic Publications Ltd. All rights reserved | LandlordZONE® – Video emerges showing ‘property guru’ Samuel Leeds ranting at teacher during course | LandlordZONE.

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If you were a lender how would you look at a request for a holiday?

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I had an Agreement in Principle (AIP) for a Client declined by Paragon yesterday due to credit issues,  BUT the credit file is more or less a perfect score, no missed payments, long historical residency, no CCJ’s etc etc i.e.

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Right to Rent Appeal – Legal Cases Webinar

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Landlords and agents have had to carry out right to rent checks under on tenants since 2016 (and in some areas since 2014) – but is the right to rent scheme inherently discriminatory? And if so, is it an unlawful?

The post Right to Rent Appeal – Legal Cases Webinar appeared first on Property118.

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Landlords Stronger Together (2020) – Hamilton Fraser’s Property Podcast

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Paul Shamplina, Founder of Landlord Action, CEO of Hamilton Fraser, Eddie Hooker, joined by special guest, Chief Executive of the NRLA, Ben Beadle.

Hamilton Fraser’s Property Podcast discusses
breaking news and key sector topics within the private rented sector with
special industry guests. 

The latest episode of Hamilton Fraser’s Property Podcast is a lockdown special in which Eddie Hooker, CEO of award winning Hamilton Fraser Total Landlord Insurance and Paul Shamplina, Founder of Landlord Action and Brand Ambassador at Hamilton Fraser are joined (virtually) by special guest Ben Beadle, the Chief Executive of the new National Residential Landlords Association (NRLA).

Eddie, Paul and Ben (pictured) discuss the recent merger between the two landlord associations and how it can bring about “strength of voice and unity of purpose” in the sector.

Ben shares his unique insight into the sector as a
landlord himself, sharing his experiences, knowledge and advice for landlords,
especially during these uncertain times as well as outlining his future plans
for the association.

The trio also discuss several challenges facing landlords including their industry perception, legislative changes and the COVID-19 pandemic. Addressing the perception of landlords in the sector Eddie, Paul and Ben discuss how we can best support landlords and tenants by working together and opening good lines of communication.

Ben also provides insight into the NLA and RLA
merger, as well as explaining the NRLA’s vision in detail, what we can expect
to see immediately from the association and their plans for the future.

Eddie concludes the podcast by asking Ben Hamilton Fraser’s closing question for 2020, made even more hypothetical than usual during our current isolation… ‘Who would your dream co-tenant be, and why?’

Don’t forget to listen out for brand new episodes
of Hamilton Fraser’s Property Podcast this year with new special industry
guests every episode! 

©1999 – Present | Parkmatic Publications Ltd. All rights reserved | LandlordZONE® – Landlords Stronger Together (2020) – Hamilton Fraser’s Property Podcast | LandlordZONE.

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LATEST: NRLA stands firm as NUS calls for landlords to relent on student rent

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The National Residential Landlords Association and the National Union of Students have exchanged open letters to each other making their cases for and against rent waivers.

The National Union of Students (NUS) and National
Residential Landlords Association (NRLA) are still at odds following an
exchange of letters between the two unions over student rent.

The NUS has defended its calls for leniency
as it says many universities and private sector providers are releasing
students from their tenancy obligations early if they vacate the property as a
result of Coronavirus.

In a letter to NRLA chief executive Ben Beadle, Eva Crossan Jory (pictured), NUS vice-president for welfare, said: “The NUS urging PRS landlords to do the same is not outlandish.”

The student union said it would press the
Competition and Market Authority about the “pressure selling” practice of
landlords getting students to sign tenancy agreements many months in advance of
them moving in.

However, the NRLA’s Beadle responded that unless landlords had the confidence to remain in the rental market, access to student housing would become increasingly difficult for students, increasing costs and building up a considerable housing crisis.

Not exempt

He stressed that students were not exempt from
Government advice that tenants should stick to the terms of their tenancy
agreement. However, he added: “We continue to encourage all tenants, and
prospective tenants to enter into a dialogue with their landlord to understand
their responsibilities and discuss potential options.”

In response to the NUS’s call for rent subsidies,
Beadle said: “Maintenance loans are being paid as normal, and many are likely
to have seen costs on items such as shopping and leisure activity fall as they
return to live with family.  

“Student landlords are also in a more
difficult position in that, should they offer to defer rents, it is unlikely
they would be able to recover the money as students are reaching the end of
contracts and will be moving on.”

The NRLA has also written to Universities UK asking it to
urgently contact members to remind
them of the Government’s guidance on paying rent, which it promised to forward
to members.

©1999 – Present | Parkmatic Publications Ltd. All rights reserved | LandlordZONE® – LATEST: NRLA stands firm as NUS calls for landlords to relent on student rent | LandlordZONE.

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