Size matters for the UK average house price of £231k

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How much space can the UK’s average house price of £231k buy you across the country?

Home buyers in the West Midlands can afford almost double the floorspace than those in the South East, according to new research1.

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John Lewis launches ambitious plan to become large-scale residential landlord

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John Lewis aims to become a large-scale residential landlord by building homes next to 20 of its shops.

The struggling retailer, which has been hit hard during the pandemic, has identified the sites where it can build quality and sustainable housing while providing a stable income.

It aims to furnish the properties with John Lewis Home products and hopes tenants will become Waitrose shoppers.

Already a landlord at three of its supermarket sites, John Lewis says it’s an obvious extension for the brand and is now talking to developers and investors who could help it achieve its ambitions to enter the build-to-rent market.

It will make planning applications for two sites in the new year in Greater London, with a plan to build the rental homes above or beside Waitrose stores.

John Lewis is backing the homebuilding project, along with other potential new business ideas such as selling home insurance and opening garden centres, with £400m of investment.

The action plan comes as the group heads for its first full-year loss after three years of falling profits; last month, the company announced plans to shut eight John Lewis stores and four Waitrose stores with the loss of more than 1,400 jobs.

Chairman Sharon White (pictured, left) says: “Our plan means the John Lewis Partnership will thrive for the next century, as it has the last.

“We’ll share our success with our customers, partners – who own the business – and our communities.”

In the summer the retailer announced a new furniture rental service to provide young renters with affordable John Lewis sofas, chairs and tables.

©1999 – Present | Parkmatic Publications Ltd. All rights reserved | LandlordZONE® – John Lewis launches ambitious plan to become large-scale residential landlord | LandlordZONE.

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COVID Stories: Landlords fend off ‘undue pressure’ from licensing scheme to complete minor repairs

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A licensing scheme operator is pressurising an elderly landlord couple to carry out minor repair work to their rented house despite them having problems booking workmen due to the coronavirus crisis, they have told LandlordZONE.

Joy and Frederick Bibb signed up to the Home Safe Scheme in Great Yarmouth, which is associated with the local council, paying a monthly fee to get support to meet regulations.

But they say its recent inspection report has resulted in unnecessary pressure being put on them to do work needed almost immediately.

Says Joy: “They sent us a report of repairs to do, which I agreed with, as I know it’s part of the job and we take pride in our houses and keeping tenants happy.

“But although we’re told they’re minor, not emergency repairs, they keep demanding we do the repairs or tell us we’ll be fined.”  

Suspected Covid

She says the builder who was going to carry out the work – including mending a floorboard and adding an extra handrail on the staircase – has refused to enter the house due to a suspected case of Covid-19.

She adds: “Their instructions are very vague, and you need to be a solicitor to understand them. I’ve also had problems contacting them and they only send the same generic email back with the same instructions.”

A spokesman for the Home Safe Scheme, which also operates similar schemes in Doncaster and Lincolnshire, tells LandlordZONE: “Any advice and support we give is reasonable and proportionate to the seriousness of the issues found so we do not put members ‘under unnecessary pressure to carry them out immediately’ if that is neither reasonable or proportionate.

“In terms of taking into account not being able to get workmen to come to the house, we have amended our follow-up action requirements to take account of the coronavirus but…all the Government guidance around this issue points to repairs still being able to be undertaken as long as the appropriate measures are followed.”

Read more about the Bibbs.

©1999 – Present | Parkmatic Publications Ltd. All rights reserved | LandlordZONE® – COVID Stories: Landlords fend off ‘undue pressure’ from licensing scheme to complete minor repairs | LandlordZONE.

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Beyond Section 21 Report – The unintended consequences if government doesn’t listen

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Following the Government’s announcement and subsequent consultation into repealing Section 21, which received in excess of 20,000 responses, The Lettings Industry Council (TLIC) commissioned a report ‘Beyond Section 21’ to look at the impacts of doing so. 

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Labour activists call for ‘bias’ of its own landlord MPs to be revealed

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Labour activists want candidates in the party’s upcoming National Executive Committee elections to own up to being a landlord.

Its newly-formed campaign group, Labour Tenants United, promises to publicise their answers as it reckons party members whose interests are opposed to landlords deserve to have as much information as possible before they cast their votes.

It says the Labour Party is focussing too much on landlords because, it reckons, approximately one in every five Labour MPs declares earnings through rent.

Labour Tenants United believes the Labour party hasn’t properly backed tenants throughout the coronavirus crisis and has moved away from pushing for rent controls and repealing right to buy.

“It is hard to discount that the continued and disproportionate presence of landlords in positions of power within Labour might be one factor that explains why the party has been falling short,” it adds.

Landlords vs tenants

“Labour’s backtracking on these issues is a sign that the decision-makers in the party do not understand the fundamentally opposed interests of landlords and tenants.”

The group explains that while it’s not calling for a ban on landlords in the Labour Party, tenants ought to know who they are voting for in internal Labour elections next month.

“We believe that the conflicting interests between landlords and tenants make it necessary that tenants know which candidates own and rent properties.”

It adds: “The party cannot return to appealing to the better nature of landlords. Attempting to solve structural problems through a collaborative approach is doomed to fail.

“There have been decades of promises to get private landlords to provide affordable housing instead of the Government. It is antithetical to the interests of landlords to provide affordable housing when the nature of the housing market means they stand to profit more if they charge more.”

Read more about Labour

©1999 – Present | Parkmatic Publications Ltd. All rights reserved | LandlordZONE® – Labour activists call for ‘bias’ of its own landlord MPs to be revealed | LandlordZONE.

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Extension wall built too close?

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Hi, I own a 4 bed detached on a street built in the 60’s. On facing the houses each has a path of about 6ft between them BUT the path is owned by the house to the right up to the walls of the house to the left..

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Wales confirms ‘sharp and deep’ Covid fire-break with non-essential travel and gatherings banned

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Wales is to go into a two-week ‘fire break’ lockdown that will see non-essential and non-food retail, hospitality and leisure businesses close and everyone confined to their homes from 6pm on Friday 23^rd October to the 9^th November.

Cross-border travel between England and Wales will also be severely restricted, and non-essential travel within Wales will ‘have to stop’.

Everyone in Wales will be required to work from home and the only exceptions will be critical workers and jobs where working from home is not possible. People will also be able to leave their homes to exercise and, presumably, buy food.

Detailed guidance has been promised before the lockdown begins on Friday, but at the moment the announcement says only essential travel will be allowed, and indoor or outdoor gatherings between those not already living together will be banned during the circuit-breaker fortnight too.

This means landlords hoping to complete tenancy check-ins or viewings have a short window in which to complete them.

Deadly virus

In justification of the measures, First Minister Mark Drakeford (pictured) said: “Unless we act the NHS will not be able to look after the increasing number of people who are falling ill due to this deadly virus.

“This is the shortest we can make it, but will be sharp and deep.”

The First Minister also confirmed that students will be required to lockdown in their student accommodation, and also an enhanced package of support for businesses including an additional £300 million added to the country’s Economic Resilience Fund.

Smaller businesses will also automatically be given £5,000 if they are required to close.

“A fire break period is our best chance of regaining control of the virus and avoiding a longer and much more damaging national lockdown. This is the moment to come together to protect the NHS and to save lives,” said Drakeford.

Read the announcement in full.
Read more about Wales.

©1999 – Present | Parkmatic Publications Ltd. All rights reserved | LandlordZONE® – Wales confirms ‘sharp and deep’ Covid fire-break with non-essential travel and gatherings banned | LandlordZONE.

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Window to Conservatory: HHSRS cat 1 hazard

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Portsmouth City Council (PCC) Licensing team have just done an HHSRS inspection of one of my student HMOs and given one of the rooms a Category 1/ band B hazard rating for ‘excess heat’ due to the room’s window opening onto a “conservatory”

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To charge or not to charge?

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I own and manage a small HMO and rent the individual rooms on an AST of 6 months. In August a new tenant moved in, 7 weeks into her contract she told me she was now on the shortlist to move to a council flat

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University putting landlords in danger of prosecution for unlicensed HMOs

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Following the recent revelation that the University of Warwick is dumping hundreds of private landlords in favour of its own student accommodation, it has today come to light that as part of this strategy it appears to have deliberately put landlords subject to Coventry City Council’s controversial Additional Licensing scheme at risk of prosecution and massive fines.

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