Inventory clerks to step in and sort out ‘retrospective Right to Rent’ checks mess

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Independent inventory clerks can help solve the problem of carrying out retrospective Right to Rent checks, according to a leading inventory industry figure.

No Letting Go says clerks can conduct in-person Right to Rent checks when doing an inventory check-in. These must be done after a tenant’s Right to Rent runs out, or 12 months after the initial check.

It follows ARLA Propertymark’s warning that the ‘adjusted checks’ system – where agents have been completing status checks without meeting tenants in person, but which will have to be re-checked within eight weeks of the pandemic ending – could cause the scheme to collapse.

ARLA reckons most letting agents and landlords won’t comply with the requirement as tenants might object to being checked twice, while it will cause them a huge digital compliance storage problem.

It also comes as the Right to Rent scheme expands to include EU citizens who haven’t yet applied for Settled Status.

Spring lockdown

Nick Lyons (pictured), founder and CEO of No Letting Go, says its clerks have experience of carrying out Right to Rent checks as many conducted them on behalf of agents and landlords when doing inventory check-ins during the spring lockdown.

They can make sure a tenant’s ID matches the landlord or agent’s records and take photographic evidence of both the ID and the tenant. No Letting Go then stores records of the completed checks on its systems, so agents and landlords can provide an audit trail.

“There are a range of changes to the Right to Rent scheme in the pipeline which, alongside the introduction of retrospective checks, could put significant pressure on letting agents and landlords over the coming months,” says Lyons.

“Property professionals will also be managing the overall impact of the pandemic and continually growing workloads, so any help they can get from partners such as inventory clerks to ensure they meet their compliance obligations could be invaluable.”

Read the official adjusted checks system guidance.
End of tenancy cleaning and inventory checklist

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Time to create a Renting Minister, leading build-to-rent figure tells Boris

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Leading build-to-rent portal LovetoRent says a new ‘minister for renting’ would improve tenants’ conditions and raise landlords’ game.

Founder and CEO Anne-Marie Brown (pictured, above) believes that it’s currently overseen by the same housing minister – with a focus on increasing rates of home-ownership – this can be to the detriment of the rented market.

In a letter to Boris Johnson, she and other build-to-rent players including Arcadis, Folio and Hera, explain that the formal appointment would oversee and raise standards for millions of people currently in rental accommodation, much of which is not fit for purpose.

“It would enforce standards on landlords who do not comply and encourage and play a part in the growing build-to-rent sector which has the ability to improve lives for the future,” says Brown.

Rental dominance

They point out that build-to-rent is soon expected to be worth £550 billion, while the percentage of the population living in private rented accommodation is projected to rise to just under 40% by 2025, overtaking owner-occupiers for the first time.

“As the number of people renting rises and the profile of renters changes, with more families and older people choosing to rent, we need to refocus the agenda, placing more emphasis on improving conditions for renters, including holding landlords to account for poor performance, and promoting longer more secure tenancies,” says Brown.

Richard Jones, head of residential and regeneration at planning and design giant Arcadis, adds: “The Government should recognise that providing appropriate places to live should be their focus with the growing rental market being a key element, not just home ownership.”

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Covid Stories: How the pandemic has changed everything for 1,400 eastern landlords

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Members of the Norwich-based Eastern Landlords Association (ELA) have ended up doing repairs and even building work themselves after struggling to get materials and qualified tradespeople during the pandemic.

Chairman Charles Clarke (pictured) has had to do some of his own property maintenance this year while another director has ended up working on a planned extension himself because there was no one available.

“We need more skilled people,” he tells LandlordZONE. “Covid has made a bad situation much worse, while there’s also the problem of tenants isolating because landlords still need to get repairs done or send gas repair people into properties.”

Rent difficulties

He reckons up to 40% of the ELA’s 1,400 members have been affected by tenants in difficulty paying rent, and while many have come to an agreement about payment terms, others are frustrated about the evictions ban.

Its helpline currently gets three or four members a week contacting it for help and advice, often about arrears or evictions. “One member is dealing with a tenant who hasn’t paid rent for nearly two years,” says Clarke.

“You do hear some plausible excuses but there’s definitely a climate of young people living today and paying tomorrow which makes the situation worse. It’s a very difficult time as you don’t know which of your tenants will get into financial difficulty.”

Student caution

Another Covid-related change he’s seen is that landlords are more cautious when it comes to student lets and now ask for a guarantor when they might not have bothered before.

He admits that this year has left some members feeling despondent, while there’s a general mood of resignation.

Adds Clarke: “The Government has done nothing to help landlords, on the back of ending mortgage tax relief and absorbing extra costs from safety checks it feels like they’re trying to get money out of us in any way possible, despite the fact we’re fulfilling a social need. Some members are now selling up because of all the hassle.”

The ELA includes landlords with properties in Norfolk, Suffolk and East Anglia.

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Latest tier restrictions are a pretty blatant attack on less wealthy areas of the country

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Research by estate agent, Barrows and Forrester, has revealed the average cost of buying a home across the current Covid tier rankings.  The government revealed which tiers each part of England would be placed in at the back end of last week

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LATEST: Landlords call for national conciliation service for evictions

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Landlords have called on the Ministers to introduce a new ‘conciliation service’ as the government prepares to legislate banning Section 21 notice evictions within its Renters’ Reform Bill.

This major change to the way landlords can move to evict tenants will see ‘no fault’ evictions removed from the statute and instead a modified Section 8 notice process introduced.

“The plans outline clear and comprehensive grounds upon which landlords should be able to regain possession of their properties,” the National Residential Landlords Association (NRLA) says. “This includes cases of tenant rent arrears, anti-social behaviour and situations where landlords want to sell a property.”

But the NRLA is urging the government to consider, where possession notices are challenged, a publicly-funded conciliation service, similar to the employment dispute body, ACAS.

Disagreements

This would seek to resolve disagreements between landlords and tenants without the stress and costs associated with going to court.

“Whilst more serious cases, such as those related to criminal activity by a tenant, would need to go straight to court, most could be considered by the conciliation service,” the NRLA proposes.

“This would help the tenant and landlord to reach an agreement to keep the tenancy going or bring it to an end in a way that works for both parties.

“Where landlords fail to abide by the terms of the agreement, they would be banned from being able to re-possess the property using the same ground for six months. Where renters did so, the case would be fast tracked through the courts.”

Ben Beadle, Chief Executive of the National Residential Landlords Association, “We hope that ministers will accept our proposals and act on them soon.”

Several mediation services already exist, including most recently one set up by the Property Redress Scheme.

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Calls on government for a new landlord and tenant conciliation service

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Private landlords are calling on the Government to establish a new landlord and tenant conciliation service as part of its planned changes to the private rented sector.

The call, being made by the National Residential Landlords Association, comes as it publishes its proposals for the Renters’ Reform Bill.

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