NEW: Government’s latest ‘green homes deal’ to be revealed this week

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The government is expected to pledge to landlords and homeowners that installing a heat pump will cost no more than fitting a standard boiler by 2030 as part of its new Heat and Building Strategy due to be published this week.

Business and Energy Secretary Kwasi Kwarteng is set to announce plans to reduce the cost from £10,000 to £5,000 within three years along with a pledge to invest £60 million in heat pump innovation to make them smaller and easier to install.

However, landlords and heating experts have warned that any support will need to be easier to access than previous green schemes.

The government will announce 2035 as the cut-off date when natural gas boilers will no longer be installed in existing homes following its promise to fit 600,000 heat pumps each year by 2028 to help the UK meet its net zero target.

Low-carbon consultancy Gemserve says it understands that BEIS is considering an obligation on manufacturers which would require them to meet a minimum threshold of renewable heating system sales as a proportion of their total.

This proposal is similar to obligations placed on car manufacturers over recent years and has the potential to drive down costs.

Kevin Wellman (pictured), CEO of the Chartered Institute of Plumbing and Heating Engineering, tells LandlordZONE that he expects details of the Clean Heat Grant – which comes into effect next March – finalised, including which heating systems will be eligible.

He would also like to see a viable alternative introduced to the Green Homes Grant Scheme.

“It is important that any schemes are easy for landlords and qualified installers to access, as there is a real danger of a miss-match between supply and demand,” he says.

“In order to achieve the government’s aspirations for net zero, 100,000 installers need to be upskilled in low carbon technologies.”

Many landlords believe the targets are wishful thinking and that its aim to see all rented properties raised to an energy rating of band C or above by 2030 is a ‘pipedream’ unless upgrades are backed with financial and practical support.

Read the Commons guide to the Heat and Building Strategy document.

©1999 – Present | Parkmatic Publications Ltd. All rights reserved | LandlordZONE® – NEW: Government’s latest ‘green homes deal’ to be revealed this week | LandlordZONE.

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Council Tax Liability – Quoting S6 Local Government Finance Act 1992?

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I started possession action due to persistent non-payment of rent in Autumn 2019. Possession was under S21 rather than S8 as advised by my solicitor. I obtained a court order on 27 March 2020 the day after the Govt ban on evictions.

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Rightmove Index up 0.3% in September with fierce competition over reduced supply

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The national average asking prices of newly marketed properties have risen by 0.3% (+£1,091) this month to hit a new all-time high of £338,462. Despite the traditional summer holiday lull, fierce competition continues among buyers for the record low number of available properties for sale.

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Landlords slam former Labour shadow chancellor’s ‘rent freeze’ proposal

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Former shadow chancellor John McDonnell has called for a year-long rent freeze to combat rising energy bills and the universal credit payment cut.

It follows the latest Household Resilience Study that shows 7% of private renters were in arrears in April-May, up from 3% in 2019/20, amounting to more than 780,000 renters.

However, his post on social media was quickly scorned by many landlords who posted that the move would only make PRS properties even more scarce.

One tweeted: “Why the obsession with landlords….I can tell you, you are widening the gap and causing far more good landlords to leave it to the bad ones. I’m getting sick of the perpetual one-sided argument.”

Another replied: “Why not suggest energy companies freeze prices or supermarkets freeze food prices. Are landlords just soft targets or seen as evil people for choosing BTL as an investment instead of stocks and shares like most MPs.”

Rent freeze

McDonnell has urged Rishi Sunak to impose the year-long rent freeze for all public and private sector tenants in England at the upcoming autumn Budget.

“Many families are facing a winter of worry and hardship from the cut in universal credit, hikes in energy prices and record rent rises,” he said.

“It’s a really tough and uncertain time for so many. A rent freeze will relieve many of them of major pressure on their household budgets this Christmas and provide increased security that they can afford to keep a decent roof over their heads. It will also assist the economic recovery from Covid by maintaining demand in our economy.”

Labour is also pushing the need for more social housing and believes that devolved and local government should be partners in the UK government’s objective of levelling up communities.

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Insurers claim this is subletting and Landlord doesn’t have control?

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Sadly, following a bad experience, one of the sites was converted into a Cannabis Factory. After usual arguments, AGEAS accepted liability and paid for lost damage around say £50k (Insured losses) uninsured cost (£20k).

The loss was in Jan

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