Watch: How to prevent tenants complaining about damp, mould and condensation

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Damp is a common issue, particularly over the winter months. Everyday activities like showering or drying clothes create moist air. When that air has nowhere to go, it can seep into the walls, leading to unsightly marks and mould – and tenant complaints.

But what are the differences between damp, mould and condensation? And how can you identify the cause early and avoid further problems developing in your property?

To help you understand how to prevent the development of damp, mould and condensation, our landlord insurance partner, Hamilton Fraser Total Landlord Insurance has put together a short video.

Visit Hamilton Fraser Total Landlord Insurance’s expert guide to learn more about how you can identify and treat damp, mould and condensation before it damages your property and becomes an unwanted expense.

Hamilton Fraser Total Landlord Insurance has also put together a helpful advice sheet to assist your tenants in identifying and managing the effects of damp, mould and condensation.

For further guidance on getting your property ready for the winter months visit Get winter ready – everything you need to protect your property.

Watch: Top 3 actions you can take to protect your rental property

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Pandemic flat sharing boom under way as locked-down tenants seek companionship and lower bills

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Tenants looking to avoid isolation and save money during the pandemic are turning to flat shares instead of renting their own homes.

Online rental platform Spotahome says the trend is particularly pronounced in London as the capital’s renters look to reduce their monthly outgoings and improve their personal wellbeing by avoiding months on end living alone. 

As a potential second national lockdown looms, its new research finds that the average rent for a one-bedroom property in London is £1,307, while renting a three-bed flat-share costs £2,013, working out at just £671 per person and a 49% reduction in rent.

It found eight London boroughs where opting for a three-bedroom rental property can cut the monthly rental outgoings by at least 50%, with the biggest reduction in Hillingdon where the cost of £464 per person for a three-bedroom property is 55% lower than the cost of renting a one-bed (£1,027).

Predictably, Kensington and Chelsea offers the smallest reduction, although renters can still make a 20% saving compared to spending £2,062 renting alone in the borough.

UK and Ireland country manager, Nadia Butt (left), says that while many renters have found themselves on furlough or out of work – making the decision to flat-share financially motivated – there’s also a strong demand from those who would have traditionally rented a space of their own.

“Sharing a rental property with others not only helps your bank balance but it can bring a huge benefit to your personal and mental wellbeing,” she says.

“While it will no doubt present its own issues that may not arise living on your own, we’re seeing more and more tenants opt for a shared living space due to the pros outweighing the cons.”

Visit Spotahome.com
More: Difference between bedsit and an HMO.

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Rent to Rent furniture sale taxable?

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Hi everyone, I’ve had a Rent to Rent HMO in Liverpool since March 2013. I’m now passing it on to someone else, furnished, and tenanted, as I’ve had enough myself, but it is a good house.

When I first got the house

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Get your skates on! Nearly half of landlords planning to apply for a Green Homes Grant

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The Green Homes Grant is proving a hit with landlords with just under half saying they plan to take up the government’s £5,000 cash offer, according to research by lender Paragon.

But it says landlords need to get their skates on; there are only 650,000 vouchers available to home owners whether they are landlords or not, and the vouchers must be redeemed and the work completed by 31^st March next year.

The popularity of the grant among landlords is not surprising – the Covid-related scheme, which is designed to both generate economic activity and help the government reach its green targets, coincides with the new Mandatory Energy Efficiency Standards (MEES) that went live on April 1^st this year.

Change of tenancy

These now prevent landlords letting properties with an EPC rating of F or G even where there has been no change of tenancy, and they must now improve the property rating to E or register an exemption if they want to continue to let it.

The Green Homes Grant therefore helps landlords bypass a major stumbling block that dogged previous efforts to encourage landlords to upgrade their properties; cost.

That’s because the MEES funding rules prior to Covid capped a landlord’s spend at £3,500 and, if a property could not be brought up to an E rating at that price, then an exemption could be applied for.

The Green Homes Grant pays two-thirds of the cost of improving a property up to £5,000, with the landlords paying the rest.

Richard Rowntree, MD for mortgages at Paragon, says: “Doing this, with the help of government subsidy, benefits the landlords themselves, their tenants and the environment, so it’s a sensible move.”

Read the full updated MEES regulations.
MORE: 15 important dates for landlords this including MEES.

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The National Landlord Investment online Super Show – Tuesday 3rd November

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The National Landlord Investment team to host their online Super Show, Tuesday 3rd November with over 1200 minutes of free content! Join the team and over 40 expert speakers and connect with 50+ exhibitors online. Click Here

The team delivered their first online event on 8th October which covered the Midlands and Manchester areas.

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We are now in a completely different operating environment

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In the past, if someone was in a reasonable job, I was willing to risk taking them on without a guarantor. In fact, it seemed rude to ask a professional in their 30s or 40s for one. The worst thing that could happen would be me losing about 6 months rent –

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Exclusive blog: Are we all ready for the green upgrade challenge?

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As the Covid-19 pandemic dominates our lives it’s difficult to look beyond the immediate future. But life and lettings go on including the government’s recent unveiling of dramatic energy efficiency targets for landlords. 

Plans to raise minimum energy efficiency standards for rental homes were revealed last month, to coincide with the launch of the government’s new Green Grants scheme. 

As of this year all rental properties (other than those with valid exemptions) must have an EPC rating of E or higher to be legally rented out. 

The government now plans to raise this level to C – or higher – from April 2025 for new tenancies and from 2028 for existing tenancies.  

The plans include a cost cap of £10,000 per property and a £30,000 fine for non-compliance. 

As a landlord myself I understand the need for improvements across the sector – and the benefits that come from energy efficient homes for landlords, in that they are more attractive to potential tenants, and renters as they mean cheaper bills. 

Older homes 

Landlords are already making improvements. The latest English Housing Survey figures show the number of rental homes with an energy-efficiency rating band of A–C has increased over the 10 years to 2018 from 11.6% to 32.6%. 

But there will be challenges for many, particularly those with older properties particularly pre-1919 homes, or those that are off-grid, or in areas where the cost of upgrades is disproportionate to property values. 

According the English Housing Survey 33% of homes in the PRS were built before 1919 so are likely to have solid walls, making insulation much more difficult. Listed status can also affect landlords’ abilities to make changes. 

More broadly, there is also the issue of ‘moving goalposts’. If the government wants to go ahead with this plan, and make no mistake, it is committed to this direction of travel, there needs to be clear, long-term proposals for the trajectory of change along with a package of funding to support landlords. 

This will help us to plan changes and improvements to our properties over the next 10 -15 years and how to fund them. 

The Government is looking to move to ‘low carbon-heat ready’ in the private rented sector by 2030, which means making as many changes to the fabric of buildings as is possible in anticipation of the phasing out of gas boilers, as has already been announced for new-build homes. 

In all the Government has committed £9.2 billion in its manifesto to energy efficiency measures and we will continue our ongoing campaign to ensure a share of that is used towards support for the private rented sector. 

My colleagues in our policy department are now working on our response to the consultation, which closes on December 30. 

This means it is unlikely any new laws will be passed until next March at the earliest. 

Green Homes Grants  

The Green Homes Grants are the first move by the Government to incentivise energy efficiency improvements in rental homes. 

Through the scheme the Government will provide vouchers that will cover up to two thirds (67%) of the cost of qualifying improvements up to £5,000.   

Split into primary and secondary, you must qualify for primary measures before you can apply for secondary measures and the installer will receive payment from the government for the costs covered by the voucher.  

But if you want to take advantage of this funding – which is available in England only – you will need to move fast. 

Not only is the time period set by Government tight – ending on March 31, 2021 – by which time work needs to be completed – there are could also additional issues finding accredited tradespeople people to do the work, with more and more areas entering Tier 2 and 3 coronavirus measures, meaning greater restrictions. 

The system may seem confusing – but it is not often government cash is made available in this way and it is worth remembering that although there is a cost to you as a landlord the improvements will still need to be made at some point when the funding is gone. 

For help in navigating the process our website now includes a step-by-step guide to accessing the grants for members. We also held a webinar on the issue, which can be accessed by members here.  

We will be holding a second webinar on the issue on December 9. To register keep an eye on our webinar pages here. 

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Join us! Watch exclusive LandlordZONE/NRLA Covid update webinar

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LandlordZONE has teamed up with the UK’s largest landlord trade body the NRLA to jointly host a webinar on Tuesday 1^st December that will give landlords a lowdown on Covid and its impact on the housing market and legislation.

Both organisations have worked with renowned industry trainer Susie Crolla from the Guild of Letting and Management to create the webinar, which will begin at 10am.

It will be hosted by the irrepressible Paul Shamplina of Landlord Action and Channel 5’s ‘Nightmare Tenants, Slum Landlords’ TV show.

“This three hour course will be presented in a practical format to help you navigate your responsibilities as a landlord during the coronavirus crisis,” he says.

Susie and Paul will be joined by Ben Beadle, chief executive of the NRLA.

Topics to be covered will include:

• An overview of the impact of COVID-19 on landlords including the changes to eviction notice periods.
• Understanding your legal and compliance responsibilities such as gas and electrical safety, tenant fees and more.
• How to use resources to make the running of your property business easier including how to choose the ideal letting agent.
• An update from the NRLA on the lobbying and financial support currently being worked on including the Renters’ Reform Bill.

“In such unprecedented times we wanted to give back to landlords with a comprehensive webinar that updates and informs them about the Covid crisis from a practical, political, business and property management point of view,” adds Shamplina.

The Being a professional landlord during COVID – legal and compliance update webinar costs £25+VAT. > Click here to book. <

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Are These Auction Property Deals Worth it?

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In this video we have a property auction review of some of the best property investment deals coming at auctions Allsop, Acuitus Auction House and Auction House London by myself, Rod Turner, Jay Howard and Piotr Rusinek.

In this episode

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Housing minister dashes hopes of a stamp duty holiday extension

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Landlords banking on the Chancellor to extend his stamp duty holiday and help them either buy or sell properties have had their hopes dashed.

Housing minister Christopher Pincher (pictured) has told parliament that the “government does not plan to extend this relief and will continue to monitor the property market”.

Pincher made the comments in answer to shadow Justice minister Peter Kyle (pictured, below) who was wondering if leaseholders trapped by ongoing cladding scandal would be given more time to sell their homes via the stamp duty ‘nil rate’ band.

But the housing minister went further and said that the stamp duty holiday, which is due to run out on 31^st March next year, was only designed to give the housing market a shot in the arm following the initial Covid lockdown.

Saving anyone buying a property under £500,000 some £15,000 on average, the holiday does not include the additional 3% duty that landlords and second-home owners pay.

Conveyancing delays

Calls for the Chancellor to extend or modify the scheme have been growing lounder in recent weeks as conveyancers have struggled to handle the huge number of property sales that flooded the housing market after the Covid lockdown, and which is still working its way through the system.

This led the Conveyancing Association to warn that any sales agreed after the end of September were unlikely to progress to completion before the cut-off, stranding some 365,000 sales.

Leading industry figures to call on the Chancellor to enable sales agreed to be included within the cut-off date or taper the system to avoid a ‘cliff edge’.

Jeremy Leaf, north London estate agent and a former RICS residential chairman, says: ‘The loss of so many transactions caused by the ending of the stamp duty holiday could have a devastating effect, not just on the property market but the wider economy”.

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