Planned May Day rent strike in London looks unlikely… as even Labour fails to back it

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The Rent Strike London campaign is unlikely to repeat the success of similar protests in Glasgow recently, which prompted legislation to limit rents in Scotland.

A May Day
rent strike in the capital looks likely to end up being a damp squib with
underwhelming numbers of renters signed up to protest.

Some tenants’ groups have come together under the Rent
Strike London banner, telling landlords they can’t afford to pay and calling on
the Government to pay rent for the duration of the lockdown.

But an online change.org campaign asking renters to sign
a letter of solidarity has only gathered 438 signatures, while the Rent Strike
London Twitter group has 655 followers.

Campaigners have cited the Glasgow Rent strike as an example of people-power, when 25,000 tenants in the city joined in, prompting the Government to pass the Rent Restriction Act, freezing rent at 1914 levels unless improvements were made to properties. 

Rent Strike London’s open letter to the Government on the
change.org site explains: “Signatories to this letter declare that they do not
intend to pay rent until the COVID-19 crisis is over, and that they stand in
solidarity with all other signatories. 

“We will protect each other from eviction – by ‘lawful’
or unlawful means – as well as anything else that you may try in order to force
payment or take away people’s homes. We demand that the Government legislates
for a complete suspension of rental payments on homes. If the Government
fails to do this, the strike will continue.”

The Labour party hasn’t
backed the protest although former Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn recently told
his local newspaper in Islington: “I would recommend people take actions that would help to
bring about a proper regulation of the rented sector, but do not put themselves
at risk.

“My demand is
that the Government prevent all evictions in the private rented sector but also
support people so that their rents can be paid.”

©1999 – Present | Parkmatic Publications Ltd. All rights reserved | LandlordZONE® – Planned May Day rent strike in London looks unlikely… as even Labour fails to back it | LandlordZONE.

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Which? reveals confusion among landlords over break clauses during Coronavirus crisis

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Consumer organisation says some landlords have been using incorrect advice to keep tenants in their properties even though contracts contain break clauses.

A Which? investigation has
revealed that some landlords are wrongly refusing to let tenants move out
during the crisis because they’re worried about finding new ones.

The consumer service found
that some private landlords aren’t honouring break clauses that should allow
tenants to leave their home before the end of a tenancy agreement.

Other landlords are
pressuring tenants to continue renting homes, even though their tenancy
agreement has ended.

One renter in a shared house
in Leytonstone, east London, said her agreement stated that it cost £300 to
leave before the tenancy ends in August.

However, her letting agent
refused the request, saying it was down to the landlord’s discretion. He wouldn’t
give her permission to leave under the current circumstances, saying it would
be difficult to find a new tenant.

Another couple in Gloucestershire
needed to move somewhere cheaper as they were out of work but were told by
their landlord that he couldn’t find new tenants and asked them to stay on a
rolling basis until social distancing measures had been relaxed.

He added that they would be
breaking the law and social-distancing rules and refused to return their £1,000
deposit or provide a reference.

Which? said if a private
tenancy agreement contained a break clause, tenants should be able to use it to
move out before the tenancy ended.

If the clause says it’s down to the landlord’s discretion, renters might be able to argue that this is an unfair term under the Consumer Rights Act 2015, due to the imbalance of a tenant’s rights against the landlord’s. It added that landlords couldn’t force a tenant to stay after their agreement had ended.

Read more about break clauses.

©1999 – Present | Parkmatic Publications Ltd. All rights reserved | LandlordZONE® – Which? reveals confusion among landlords over break clauses during Coronavirus crisis | LandlordZONE.

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EICR Legislation Approval?

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There was a lot of heated discussion on the proposed EICR testing of all PRS homes on this forum.

Earlier this year it was reported that the legislation was going through parliamentary approval and it seemed likely it would pass through without too much amendment.

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Return of rent deposits after 11 year tenancy?

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We had a tenant on an AST which was renewed every year for 11 years in total. The schedule of condition wasn’t updated each year and unfortunately we didn’t carry our regular inspections, although this isn’t stated in the lease.

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Channel 4 investigates Cardiff property management firm over rental deposits

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Comedian Joe Lycett claims 30 student tenants had excessive deductions made from their rental deposits, but company involved denies any wrongdoing.

A property management
company and a Channel 4 TV show have crossed swords over the firm’s handling of
rental deposits belonging to dozens of students in Cardiff.

The show, Joe Lycett’s
Got Your Back, is front by comedian Joe Lycett who spent an hour shining a light on
property management firm CPS Homes.

The company was criticised by student tenants in the city for deducting hundreds of pounds from their deposits for alleged damage. It’s now facing a Trading Standards investigation.

Two Cardiff students, Lucy and Lizzy (pictured), told Joe Lycett’s Got Your Back they’d paid £2,380 in rental deposits to CPS during their second year of university, and when they moved out, they were charged for general wear and tear as well as damages they say they didn’t cause.

In total, they and their housemates were charged with 21 essential repairs adding up to £843. The students were told they would get none of their money back until they agreed to these deductions.

Stained mattresss

Lycett visited the house
to find that some essential repairs, including a stained mattress, dented door
and carpet stain had not been carried out. The programme claimed that a total
of 30 students in CPS properties had been charged for damage they said they
didn’t cause. After visiting the properties, Lycett found that most repairs
hadn’t been completed.

The episode culminated in
Lycett and the students holding a rave outside the company’s offices to educate
people on their rental rights.

In response to Lycett’s findings, CPS Homes said: “For 20
years CPS Homes has successfully managed several thousand properties, providing
quality accommodation for renters.

“We are satisfied that the four cases raised in the
programme have already been dealt with via our rigorous complaints procedure,
and through independent adjudication. We therefore feel the rave and filming
were disproportionate to the nature and small number of complaints.”

Lucy and Lizzy have now been awarded hundreds of pounds of their deposits back. After a recent audit, Cardiff Council issued CPS with an ‘action needed’ warning, and Trading Standards has promised to investigate the company.

Watch the programme in full (requires signing in).

Read a guide to rental deposits for landlords.

©1999 – Present | Parkmatic Publications Ltd. All rights reserved | LandlordZONE® – Channel 4 investigates Cardiff property management firm over rental deposits | LandlordZONE.

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Today in politics: Coronavirus rent suspension call, LHA, students and homelessness

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Latest on the political reaction to widespread issues caused by coronavirus, from calls for rent breaks to support for students. Left wing thinktank calls for rent suspension The left leaning think tank, the New Economics Foundation, has published a report on protecting renters affected by coronavirus. Of note it says: Research it has undertaken shows […]

The post Today in politics: Coronavirus rent suspension call, LHA, students and homelessness appeared first on RLA Campaigns and News Centre.

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New specialist taskforce to tackle rough sleeping during pandemic

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A specialist taskforce has been created to lead the next phase of the Government’s support for rough sleepers during the pandemic.

Spearheaded by Dame Louise Casey, the taskforce will work hand-in-hand with councils across the country on plans to ensure rough sleepers can move into long-term

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Is this a naive question?

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Well maybe my idea is daft illegal or both, but I figured you’re the guys to ask. I’m going to cash a little pension in soon and it’s not a great amount, but maybe 30k now I own a terrace outright.

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Tenant asked to change rent payment date?

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Quick question please: tenant has asked to change payment date from 21st to 24th to coincide with his pay day.

Checking online suggests not to put any thing in writing & don’t change contract date on AST –

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LATEST: Renting platform launches that offers landlords ‘contact-less’ rentals during Coronavirus

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Developer of PlanetRent predicts that although there will be a significant surge in rental demand after the lockdown eases, tenants and landlords will continue to observe social distancing.

An online service has launched that promises to help landlords rent and manage properties without the need for face-to-face contact with tenants during the Coronavirus crisis.

Called PlanetRent, its development has been fast-tracked by its backer, property management giant The Ringley Group, which has spent £2 million and four years getting the service ready.

The company claims the automated and cloud-based service will save landlords and agents time, money and hassle. It also enables tenants to be offered tenants rent reductions automatically through substitute contracts or rent addendums.

PlanetRent connects agents, landlords, tenants, contractors, accountants and any site staff through their own separate portals to access the information they need, enabling them to transact from the comfort and safety of their home.

For tenants, this includes a How to Rent booklet, deposit protection scheme details, as well as EPC and gas safety certificates. Contract renewals are finalised with three clicks, and the system prompts tenants to see if they want to renew, and automatically markets properties and triggers move-out checks if they choose to vacate.

Also, PlanetRent gives self-managing landlords direct access to Rightmove and Zoopla as well as the ability to easily create their own website to showcase their properties.

“Our platform also enables landlords to comply with the current government guidance on Right to Rent, as tenants upload their identity documents to our portal which landlords can then check online, rather than eye balling them in person,” Mary-Anne Bowring (pictured), MD of The Ringley Group tells LandlordZONE.

PlanetRent is available on a pay-as-you go basis rather than a subscription and landlords with larger portfolios pay £10 per tenancy contract while those with smaller ones pay £20.

Read more stories about The Ringley Group.

©1999 – Present | Parkmatic Publications Ltd. All rights reserved | LandlordZONE® – LATEST: Renting platform launches that offers landlords ‘contact-less’ rentals during Coronavirus | LandlordZONE.

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