EXCLUSIVE: Landlord wins court battle with agency over ‘nightmare’ eviction

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The former director of a London lettings agency has been ordered to pay more than £50,000 in rent arrears and compensation after a court found in favour of a landlord who’s spent nearly two years trying to evict squatters.

Kirk Thompson, who founded London Residential in Camden, along with his partner Brittany Thompson must pay £48,750 in arrears and £4,274 in ‘mesne’ profits – damages for trespass by illegal occupants who are not tenants – along with £1,818 in costs following a hearing at the County Court at Central London.

In January, LandlordZONE reported that landlord Max Christian, from Stockport, signed up his three-bedroom North London flat (pictured) with London Residential in March 2019 but only received the first quarter’s rent.

His nightmare began later that year when he discovered the original tenants had moved out and one of the letting agent’s employees had moved in. 

He managed to get them out and was about to sell the flat when new squatters appeared and high-security locks were installed.

London Residential, which was acquired by London estate agent Chestertons last month, then rang to suggest he use them instead to sell the flat, as nobody else could access it. 

Complicated

Christian handed the firm a Section 8 with the help of Landlord Action, but the situation was complicated by the fact that the tenancy is in Thompson’s name, who lives in the States. London Residential disputed the claims and said it had never been in control of anyone living at the property.

The firm insisted that Christian had illegally tried to evict legitimate tenants but the judge dismissed the claims and he was granted a possession order. It’s now in the queue to be executed by bailiffs while high court enforcement officers are also ready to evict the squatters.

“It’s taken me months to get a reliable written judgement but I’m glad it’s been finalised,” he tells LandlordZONE. “I’m just hoping that the people living there don’t play the Covid card – and I expect the flat will be trashed too.”

Christian plans to sell the property as soon as possible, as he’s now another £9,250 out of pocket. “It’s a hollow victory,” he adds. “I’m sure I won’t get that money back.”

©1999 – Present | Parkmatic Publications Ltd. All rights reserved | LandlordZONE® – EXCLUSIVE: Landlord wins court battle with agency over ‘nightmare’ eviction | LandlordZONE.

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November house prices up 8.2% year-on-year

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The latest Halifax House Price Index for November is showing annual price inflation at 8.2%, a monthly increase of 1% and the new UK average house value standing at £272,992.

The average house price in Wales has broken the £200k barrier for the first time at £204,148.

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Ground rent reform – a sledgehammer to crack the wrong nut

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This week, the House of Lords will scrutinise the Leasehold Reform (Ground Rent) Bill 2021-22. When enacted it will impose onerous penalties and yet it signally fails to tackle what most MPs and the public think is its main purpose.

The post Ground rent reform – a sledgehammer to crack the wrong nut appeared first on Property118.

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EXCLUSIVE: Vast majority of selective licensing schemes run by Labour councils

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Councils around the UK are prepared to lose money running ‘polticial’ licensing schemes in their bid to get tough on landlords, new research shows.

Labour councils are also much more likely to push for registration and enforcement, says geospatial technology firm Kamma, which found that motivations were strongly political.

Out of the 58 active selective licensing schemes in England, 39 are in areas controlled by Labour councils compared to just seven run by Conservatives.

CEO Orla Shields says 2021 was another busy year for those regulating the property market with more legislation and more enforcement than ever before.

“While some see discretionary licensing schemes as just another way for authorities to tax landlords, our feedback from councils is that it actually costs them more to run these schemes than they recoup,” she tells LandlordZONE.

“Setting up a scheme then, is born out of strong motivation to raise standards and comes at some cost to limited council budgets.” 

There were 47 new schemes and consultations in 2021, with 12 actually launching this year, and five more scheduled to launch in 2022.

But a few schemes have begun to falter, some impacted by Covid or funding cuts; Southend recently deferred its scheme until next year, while others in Wakefield, Luton, Croydon and Hastings have all stalled or been rejected. Scarborough expressed fears that ministers had gone cold on selective licensing after a year-long wait to get approval for its new plans.

“Whilst some schemes were rejected by the previous Minister for Housing Robert Jenrick we don’t yet know how Michael Gove’s Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities will act,” says Shields. “It is a more radical brief, so 2022 looks set to be yet another year of change for property regulation.” 

Kamma reports that although there are no major geographic trends, London is particularly active. Lambeth, Westminster and Newham all kicked off new schemes or consultations this year while Southwark and Lewisham both have schemes scheduled for 2022.

Read more about selective licensing costs.

©1999 – Present | Parkmatic Publications Ltd. All rights reserved | LandlordZONE® – EXCLUSIVE: Vast majority of selective licensing schemes run by Labour councils | LandlordZONE.

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Selective licensing schemes most popular with Labour councils and ‘lose money’

admin    Uncategorized     agents

Councils around the UK are prepared to lose money running ‘polticial’ licensing schemes in their bid to get tough on landlords, new research shows.

Labour councils are also much more likely to push for registration and enforcement, says geospatial technology firm Kamma, which found that motivations were strongly political.

Out of the 58 active selective licensing schemes in England, 39 are in areas controlled by Labour councils compared to just seven run by Conservatives.

CEO Orla Shields says 2021 was another busy year for those regulating the property market with more legislation and more enforcement than ever before.

“While some see discretionary licensing schemes as just another way for authorities to tax landlords, our feedback from councils is that it actually costs them more to run these schemes than they recoup,” she tells LandlordZONE.

“Setting up a scheme then, is born out of strong motivation to raise standards and comes at some cost to limited council budgets.” 

There were 47 new schemes and consultations in 2021, with 12 actually launching this year, and five more scheduled to launch in 2022.

But a few schemes have begun to falter, some impacted by Covid or funding cuts; Southend recently deferred its scheme until next year, while others in Wakefield, Luton, Croydon and Hastings have all stalled or been rejected. Scarborough expressed fears that ministers had gone cold on selective licensing after a year-long wait to get approval for its new plans.

“Whilst some schemes were rejected by the previous Minister for Housing Robert Jenrick we don’t yet know how Michael Gove’s Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities will act,” says Shields. “It is a more radical brief, so 2022 looks set to be yet another year of change for property regulation.” 

Kamma reports that although there are no major geographic trends, London is particularly active. Lambeth, Westminster and Newham all kicked off new schemes or consultations this year while Southwark and Lewisham both have schemes scheduled for 2022.

Read more about selective licensing costs.

©1999 – Present | Parkmatic Publications Ltd. All rights reserved | LandlordZONE® – Selective licensing schemes most popular with Labour councils and ‘lose money’ | LandlordZONE.

View Full Article: Selective licensing schemes most popular with Labour councils and ‘lose money’