UPDATE: Ministers delay Right to Rent changes deadline for landlords

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The government has delayed changing Right to Rent rules until 30^th September to give landlords more time to prepare for the digital system.

Temporary adjusted checks were due to end on 5^th April, but it says that deferring the date ensured landlords will have sufficient time to, “develop commercial relationships with identity service providers, make the necessary changes to their pre-tenancy checking processes and carry out responsible on-boarding of their chosen provider”.

It will also allow landlords and letting agents to put measures in place to enable face-to-face document checks if they did not want to adopt digital checks for British and Irish citizens with a valid passport, or Irish passport card.

Video calls

Checks can still be carried out over video calls and tenants can send scanned documents or a photo of documents for checks using email or a mobile app, rather than sending originals.

Landlords should use the Home Office Landlord Checking Service if a prospective or existing tenant cannot provide any of the accepted documents.

When carrying out a temporary adjusted check, landlords must ask the tenant to submit a scanned copy or a photo of their original documents and arrange a video call with them.

Listen to an advice podcast about Right to Rent by Paul Shamplina.

They should ask them to hold up the original documents to the camera to check against the digital copy of the documents, record the date and mark it as ‘adjusted check undertaken on [insert date] due to COVID-19’.

If the tenant has a current Biometric Residence Permit or Biometric Residence Card or has been granted status under the EU Settlement Scheme or the points-based immigration system, landlords can use the online Right to Rent service while doing a video call. From 6th April, all biometric card holders will evidence their right to rent using the Home Office online service only.

©1999 – Present | Parkmatic Publications Ltd. All rights reserved | LandlordZONE® – UPDATE: Ministers delay Right to Rent changes deadline for landlords | LandlordZONE.

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LATEST: Scottland to fine landlords £25,000 if they evict tenants illegally

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Proposals to fine Scottish landlords up to £25,000 for illegally evicting tenants only vilifies the sector and risks driving out investors, a leading lettings agency boss has warned.

David Alexander, CEO of DJ Alexander Scotland, says the government’s ‘New deal for Tenants’ consultation paper suggests removing the current process for calculating damages for an unlawful eviction and instead, fining landlords up to 36 months’ rent if there is an unlawful eviction, which they calculate as 36 times the average Scottish rent of £693, working out at £24,948. In Edinburgh, this could be nearer £40,000.

The current mechanism for estimating damages requires a surveyor’s valuation which often results in a nil valuation.

The Scottish Government proposes that, as only a small number of cases have ever been brought, reform would help to simplify the process for a tenant to challenge an unlawful eviction, increasing access to justice.

“This would in turn deter landlords from carrying out an illegal eviction as the risk of challenge and penalty will be higher,” says Alexander.

Read more about evictions.

He says the intention seems to be to vilify and attack landlords and property investors and put all rights in favour of tenants.

Alexander, who runs leading Scots firm DJ Alexander, adds: “The majority of those involved in the private rented sector only evict as a last resort and would never consciously initiate an unlawful eviction, yet this paper seems to imply that this is a daily event and standard practice for landlords and agents.”

He believes the government’s plans run the risk of frightening many landlords and investors out of the market into property south of the border or out of the sector altogether.

“If this is the intention of the Scottish government then that is fine, they must do what they think is appropriate and explain afterwards where they will place the 700,000-plus tenants that currently live in the PRS in Scotland,” he adds.

©1999 – Present | Parkmatic Publications Ltd. All rights reserved | LandlordZONE® – LATEST: Scottland to fine landlords £25,000 if they evict tenants illegally | LandlordZONE.

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LANDLORDS: Could spending time in your garden make you happier?

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British workers spend a worrylingly short amount of time outside each day, risking their mental health and wellbeing, according to new research from plants firm Ambius.

Setting up an outdoor living space is an excellent idea when you have just a limited time to appreciate the beauty of sunlight.

Even a tiny outdoor area can enhance your general health in addition to increasing the resale value of your property. Unplugging, sitting outside, and soaking in the beauty and scents of nature is beneficial to one’s health.

You might be amazed at how many aspects of your health can benefit from outdoor dining, relaxing on your deck, or hosting a big party outdoors.

In this article, we will explore the benefits of outdoor living to mental health while pointing out some companies contributing to the landscaping industry. 

Boost your mood

It has been shown that spending quality time outdoors can boost your mood.

Taking a moment to smell the roses has been scientifically proven to be a good idea.

Shinrin-yoku, or “forest bathing,” is a Japanese ritual in which you quietly devote moments to interact with nature via the whole of your senses.

Forest bathing has a substantial favourable impact on psychological health, particularly for people with melancholic traits, according to a 2019 study of working class people with and without depressive moods.

Set aside two hours to disengage, simmer down, and absorb the views, textures, scents, flavours, and sensations of your own garden.

Healthier sleep

Spending quality time outside can assist you get a great night ‘s sleep.

Europeans invest a great deal of time gazing at screens, whether it’s on tv, laptops, ipads, or cellular phones.

These devices frequently generate blue light, the very same blue light that inhibits secretion of melatonin and disrupts your sleep cycle.

Switching off the lights and listening to the sizzle of an outdoor fireplace or pit (minus your smartphone!) can help to bring down blood pressure and get your body ready for rest.

Improve relationships

Spending more time with family and friends outside can help to deepen bonds.

Healthy relationships are built on communication and engagement.

Fortunately, something as easy as investing time in your deck or near the fireplace can enrich your relationships.

Spending quality time outdoors with your family improves mental skills, allowing you to concentrate and connect more effectively.

Instead of sitting in front of the TV to eat meals, head to your deck or nearby park for a surprise picnic.

Improve skills

Investing time outdoors, according to a University of California, Berkeley study, can result in an improvement in social competence, which is defined as “voluntary behaviours meant to assist or improve another person or person.”

Your willingness to serve others can be encouraged by the wonderful feelings evoked by nature’s sensory experiences.

When you’re in a bad mood, spend some time on your own lawn growing or caring for roses, shrubs, or veggies.

Boost work productivity

Spending quality time outside has been shown to alleviate mental tiredness, promote creativity, and even boost cognitive and emotional well-being has been shown in experiments.

Even the most dedicated employees can become burned out, but investing plenty of time outdoors can help alleviate some of the underlying causes that they can control.

If you sit at a desk, focus on getting outdoors at least three times a week for breakfast and dinner.

Best Landscape Companies for Outdoor Living

Sun Leisure

Sun Leisure is a UK supplier of high-quality weatherproof pop-up gazebos and tents that are easy to set up, dismantle and don’t break the bank.

For more than two decades, they have been delivering instant tents, pop-up gazebos, easy-up pavilions, and other products to the expo, recreational, racing, and hospitality industries in the UK and Europe.

Their pop-up gazebos and canopies are available in a wide range of sizes and shapes, making them perfect for a wide range of purposes, from gardening to full-time commercial use.

Ultra Decking 

Ultradecking boards have been professionally crafted to make your deck resistant to moisture, sunshine, rain, humidity, cold, and salinity.

Years after others have bloated, collapsed, splintered, and distorted under the harsh forces of nature, your board will maintain its brilliance, elegance, and structural integrity.  And, unlike other decking competitors, our capped composite decking preserves its colour over time.

Ultra Decking (UK), a composite decking manufacturer, uses high-quality, non-traditional materials to create products that are unmatched in terms of durability and weather resistance.

ProFresco

ProFresco creates stunning outdoor spaces that are precisely built around your lifestyle.

Every outdoor kitchen, garden gazebo, and vegetated space is custom-made to match your property and its surroundings.

Their goal is to provide you with the unbridled delight of outdoor recreation, with convenience, luxury, and flawless style, by collaborating with homeowners, engineers, manufacturers, and architects.

Their innovative design, high-end manufacturing excellence, and intelligent landscaping create environments you’ll appreciate all year long.

Royale Stones

Since its inception in 2012, Royale Stones have provided paving solutions to countless satisfied customers across the United Kingdom.

They are a family-owned business that values excellent customer service and understands the need for craftsmanship, especially when it comes to a terrace or sidewalk that will last for decades. 

©1999 – Present | Parkmatic Publications Ltd. All rights reserved | LandlordZONE® – LANDLORDS: Could spending time in your garden make you happier? | LandlordZONE.

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RogueTenantRegister.co.uk – feasibility?

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Why has no one started a rogue tenant register? I am ready to….

I have done extensive research on the idea as a multi landlord myself, and the only possible problem I come across is adding a tenant to such a register without a conviction may be legally questionable.

View Full Article: RogueTenantRegister.co.uk – feasibility?