Yes, landlords can stop (or at least delay) Selective Licensing schemes

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Landlords in Luton who threatened to hold up the launch of the town’s new selective licensing scheme look to have won a reprieve.

Due to be introduced on 1^st August, many landlords believe the proposed five-year scheme is unnecessary and suggested launching a judicial review, however, the local council has now admitted that an error in its report has put the brakes on.

Luton Council hoped to crack down on rogue landlords in five wards: Biscot and Dallow, as well as parts of Farley, South, and High Town.

Frustrations were already growing after the scheme was previously delayed for more than three months due to Covid, while plans to bring all its HMOs into the planning system via an Article 4 direction have failed to materialise for nearly a year.

A council spokesman tells LandlordZONE: “The decision not to go ahead and implement at this stage is based on an error made in the figures set out in the original report.

“We are still keen to continue to work with landlords in our work to help drive up standards in privately rented accommodation in the town and will be undertaking a further review to gauge the current need for/scope of any new licensing scheme.”

Local councillors says poorly-operated HMOs are one of the major issues facing the town as more family homes are converted, damaging its character and putting off potential investors and employers.

Councillor David Franks says although the scheme will go some way towards improving the quality of HMOs, it won’t reduce the numbers coming forward.

©1999 – Present | Parkmatic Publications Ltd. All rights reserved | LandlordZONE® – Yes, landlords can stop (or at least delay) Selective Licensing schemes | LandlordZONE.

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Hackers target property listing websites

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The scammer’s ultimate aim is to gain access to portals such as Zoopla, to place false rental property adds and obtain deposit monies from unsuspecting would-be tenants.

The scammers use the fraudulently obtained agent’s usernames and passwords to place the fake listings, with instructions for interested tenants to get in touch via an email address from which deposit monies are sought.

One such portal successfully targeted has been Lettingweb, a Scotland based portal which lists agent’s properties and also places its agent’s listings on the big national portals including Zoopla.

Lettingweb has published an incident report showing that the data breach originated from one of its client agents whose username and password had been fraudulently obtained by the hackers through a phishing email.

These phishing emails are very subtle and can easily fool someone in the agency, especially when many of the staff members have access to portals using the full login details; it only takes a second’s lack of attention to get taken in by these clever fraudsters.

This incident should remind agents across the country that staff training on the secure use of usernames and passwords is of paramount importance to prevent these types of data breaches. One simple precaution is to have a two-person staff login: one staff member knows only the username and is sworn to secrecy and likewise the other member only knows the password. Inconvenient at times yes, but it prevents any one member of staff inadvertently giving away full access to the property listing portals.

The current data breach came to light after several Edinburgh tenants searching online for suitable accommodation were coming across a spate of ‘fake flat’ scams on property websites including Zoopla and reported them.

Teacher Elly Darragh told the news website Edinburgh Live last week that she found several fake rental property postings on Zoopla under the banners of legitimate estate agents. Fortunately Elly realised that there was a scam just in time. But she was very nearly fleeced by sending a despot of hundreds of pounds for a very convincing advertisement for a deluxe flat on Edinburgh’s Lindsay Road, supposedly listed by a legitimate Aberdeen estate agent.

The upmarket flat had found its way onto the Zoopla portal under the banner of this reputable agency and understandably the teacher seeking the accommodation was keen to proceed and thought that it was safe to secure the flat by sending off her deposit payment.

Since the details of this “near-miss” incident were reported on the Edinburgh Live news websitea number of other would-be tenant readers have come forwardto report similar scamsthat they came across. These were from this same agent along with other agents, which means the scam is more widespread than first thought.

Lettingweb.com is an aggregator service used by estate agents to relay their property placings across multiple property portal websites the likes Zoopla, Prime Location and Trovit, all at one go.

Zoopla, an Aberdeen estate agent and Lettingweb have admitted there has been a data breach but both Zoopla and Lettingweb have denied that they had suffered any breach themselves, Zoopla stating:

“We’re aware that fraudsters are targeting agents with phishing emails. They do this in an effort to get agents to share their login details so they can then upload properties. We work hard to prevent this and regularly share with agents advice on how to keep their businesses secure.”

©1999 – Present | Parkmatic Publications Ltd. All rights reserved | LandlordZONE® – Hackers target property listing websites | LandlordZONE.

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24th August: Campaign group promises London-wide protests day after evictions ban ends

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London Renters Union is planning protests outside county courts across the capital on 24^th August – the day after the evictions ban ends in England.

The protest group wants members to join the day of action, when they’ll urge the Government to cancel rent debt and make the eviction ban permanent.

Since the crisis started, it claims membership has doubled, with more than 4,000 people joining its Can’t Pay Won’t Pay campaign, where renters pledge to prioritise essential spending instead of paying rent.

London Renters Union says: “The eviction ban will end and courts will reopen to hear possession claims on 24^th August, that could leave 100,000 renters homeless.

No fault evictions

“The Government committed to ending no fault evictions over a year ago – our Covid rent arrears are not our fault. We won’t let the Government’s plans go unchallenged – we have to stand up for ourselves as renters, to protect each other, and to stop evictions.”

The union promises to make the protest Covid-safe, with social distancing stewards, protective equipment and safety briefings.

But it’s calling on more reticent members who can’t join in person to put up ‘banners of resistance’ near their homes, along with posters in their windows and to send in stories of their difficulty paying rent which will be read out at the court protests.

It adds: “The Government’s recklessness means our communities who have lost income due to Covid will be at risk of eviction and the health risks of homelessness during a pandemic. Half a million renters are in rent debt – even before the end of the furlough scheme. The Government is abandoning renters. We can’t let this happen unopposed.”

©1999 – Present | Parkmatic Publications Ltd. All rights reserved | LandlordZONE® – 24th August: Campaign group promises London-wide protests day after evictions ban ends | LandlordZONE.

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New evictions ban will just ‘push critical problem into the future’ say Scottish landlords

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Yesterday’s announcement by Scotland’s First Minister Nicola Sturgeon that her government intends to extend the country’s evictions ban by six months to the end of March 2021 has been met with dismay by the Scottish Association of Landlords (SAL).

Its Chief Executive, John Blackwood, tells LandlordZONE that although many campaigning groups have welcomed the premature announcement by Sturgeon, the Scottish Parliament has yet to debate and agree this position.

“Extending the emergency measures on evictions will only push a critical problem in to the future when it needs to be tackled head-on now,” he says.

“What we need to focus on is how we can sustain tenancies during the crisis. Landlords should continue to be flexible and understanding and tenants should ensure that their landlord is kept informed about changes to allow for reasonable solutions to be found. 

“In order to address the root of the problem, the government must provide support for tenants affected by the pandemic to pay their rent. 

“Other administrations such as the Welsh Assembly Government are looking at imaginative ways to put money in to tenants pockets for rent and we believe the Scottish Government should follow suit as quickly as possible to prevent the collapse of a vital part of the housing sector.”

LandlordZONE readers can watch and ask question during a webinar due to feature Blackwood on 20^th August.

He will be appearing with several other leading figures from the private rental market sector who will discuss – among many other things – the different approaches to Covid and evictions by politicians around the UK.

©1999 – Present | Parkmatic Publications Ltd. All rights reserved | LandlordZONE® – New evictions ban will just ‘push critical problem into the future’ say Scottish landlords | LandlordZONE.

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LATEST: Are airport e-gates are making Right-to-Rent check more difficult, asks watchdog

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The independent chief inspector of borders and immigration, David Bolt, has asked landlords to let him know if the new virtual way of ‘stamping’ passports is making their attempts to establish tenants’ right to rent a home in the UK more difficult.

This follows the Home Office decision to allow people from some countries to use its ePassport gates, now ubiquitous in airports, to enter the UK, rather than having their passports stamped.

Bolt is looking at five areas of immigration operations – asylum casework, the settled-status scheme, adults at risk in detention; UK Visas and Immigration’s front-end services; and e-gates.

“I am about to begin an inspection of the Home Office’s use of ePassport Gates and would like to invite anyone with relevant knowledge and experience to write to me with their evidence,” he says.

“In recent years, the use by Border Force of ePassport Gates to manage arriving international passengers has increased.

“The gates use technology to authenticate e-passports and to link the passenger to the travel document through a facial biometric comparison and have become a key component of Border Force’s strategy for managing the UK border efficiently and effectively.”

But campaigners say that because ‘B5JSSK nationals’ arriving to live in the UK no longer have to have their passports stamped and use the e-gates instead, landlords face problems establishing their Right-to-Rent status when they apply for a tenancy.

These are people from Australia, Canada, Japan, New Zealand, Singapore, South Korea and the US.

Landlords wishing to make their views knows should email them to Bolt at: epassportgates@icibi.gov.uk

©1999 – Present | Parkmatic Publications Ltd. All rights reserved | LandlordZONE® – LATEST: Are airport e-gates are making Right-to-Rent check more difficult, asks watchdog | LandlordZONE.

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Housing Market recovery not expected to continue beyond Stamp Duty holiday

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The housing market gained momentum in July as the recovery continued, according to the July 2020 RICS UK Residential Survey. Anecdotal evidence suggests the Stamp Duty holiday, introduced from the 8th July, is playing a significant role in lifting demand.

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Can UC take on board Local Council advice?

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Does anyone know for sure if Universal Credit (UC) are obligated to take on board information given to them by a Local Council (LC) in regard to a client?

I deal with challenging tenants and the LC knows this well.

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‘Airbnb mortgage’ market roars back into action

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The number of landlord mortgages available for shot lets has increased by a quarter in just a month as lenders seek to cash-in on investor demand for ‘Airbnb mortgages’.

Moneyfacts has told LandlordZONE that the number of landlord mortgage products has risen from 60 to 74 since the beginning of July and that 14 providers have them on offer, up from nine.

Of these, 39 are holiday-let specific products, with 22 fixed rates averaging 3.48%, and 17 variable rates averaging 3.09%. However, this is still down on the number of products on the market back in March when 162 were up for grabs.

Mortgage lender West One is one of the lenders launching a new mortgage for landlords wanting to get in on the act.

Its new buy-to-let product is for holiday lets – including Airbnb – as well as houses, leasehold flats and maisonettes, new-builds, HMOs and Multi-Unit Freehold Blocks (MUFB).

Five-year fixed

The five-year fixed rate loan has a maximum 75% LTV with three-year early repayment charge period. Rates start at 4.04% on loan sizes from £50k to £1,000,000 with terms from five to 30 years.

MD Andrew Ferguson says its refreshed product range includes the limited edition mortgage which will meet an increase in demand for stay-at-home rentals.

“This product fills certain criteria for both standard and specialist landlords looking to expand their portfolios,” he says.

“The range covers individual and limited company applications, across standard and specialist cases, including HMO/MUFB, ex-pat and holiday lets, which have seen a resurgence since the Covid lockdown was lifted.

“The added flexibility within the five-year fixed rate with three-year ERC product is something our broker partners have been asking for, so I anticipate strong demand for this.”

Read more about Airbnb.

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Connells reports healthy profits despite Covid

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Connells Group Limited, the estate and letting agency headquartered in Leighton Buzzard, and a subsidiary of Skipton Building Society, today announced pre-tax profits of £26.2m (2018: £28.9m) in its interim results statement for the six months ended 30 June 2019.

Connells Group is a multi-branch estate and letting agency with around 600 branches across the UK, trading under multiple brand names including: Connells, Sequence, Allen & Harris, Bagshaws Residential, Barnard Marcus, Brown & Merry, Fox & Sons, Jones & Chapman, Manners & Harrison, Roger Platt, Shipways, Swetenhams, William H Brown, Sharman Quinney, Peter Alan, Burchell Edwards, Gascoigne Halman, Hatched, Rook Matthews Sayer and Kevin Henry.

These market leading profits are only slightly down on last year represent a strong performance coming against a backdrop of a UK housing market that continues to be subdued and where overall transaction numbers remain well below the same period in 2018.

The Group’s lettings agency in particular increased total revenue, supported by its mortgage services, land, new homes, conveyancing and survey and valuation divisions all producing positive results in the period.

The Group’s estate agency business was 8% below the comparative period in 2018, reflecting the significant fall away in the market in the first half this year, but total income was remarkably consistent with last year at £215.0m (2018: £214.9m).

Connells Group claims to be “the most successful estate agency business in the UK on a number of measures – its profitability, it sells the most houses and has the largest market share.”

Group CEO David Livesey says:

“We are proud of our ability to respond to challenging market conditions and to have produced such good results showing the strength, resilience and diversification of our business.

“The immense contribution of our people has again been a key driver in our success.

“Our people remain our biggest differentiator and greatest single asset, and we continue to attract and retain the best talent in the industry. The vast majority of our middle and senior management have been with us for many years and have experienced all types of markets in the past which is, again, proving invaluable. Their continuity and experience provides the backbone of our business”

The Group remains financially strong with no debt and continues to look for investment and acquisition opportunities.

©1999 – Present | Parkmatic Publications Ltd. All rights reserved | LandlordZONE® – Connells reports healthy profits despite Covid | LandlordZONE.

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How To Re-Purpose Defunct Commercial Buildings

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Live 90 Minute FREE Commercial Property Training Session hosted by Ranjan Bhattacharya, Property Investor & Developer with over 30 years of experience.

A unique set of circumstances are coming together right now to create a perfect cocktail of opportunity for savvy property investors.

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