TECH: Fed up hunting down reliable tradespeople, landlord launches his own search site

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Tired of ringing around trying to find tradespeople to fix leaky roofs or broken boilers, landlord Danny Neibert has launched his own online service offering a new way to find and instruct a range of different handymen.

Rezigo, which is due to launch tomorrow, offers property managers including landlords an letting agents and easy way to find local conveyancers, electricians, locksmiths, plumbers, cleaners, removals and storage services, waste clearance and maintenance providers.

Neiberg (main picture), who has been a residential landlord for 20-years, claims that Rezigo is a product of his and co-founder Simone Neiberg’s experience of landlording ‘pinch points’ which they have used to build a ‘sophisticated portal that lets users compare trade quotes, book jobs, pay suppliers, and leave ratings and reviews all in one place’.

They claim that hundreds of suppliers have already been signed up to use the service, which is about to go live.

The Neibergs say they searched unsuccessfully for technology that would help them source and manage all aspects of their property projects and, when they couldn’t find it, built their own tech.

Unique?

It claims to be unique because landlords and letting agents can book appointments with a few clicks, and because it eliminates supplier ‘phone arounds’.

“We built a bespoke platform for my existing property business, which has evolved over the years in terms of functionality and complexity,” says Danny Neiberg.

“And so, equipped with a solid understanding of the stresses associated with the home services sector, we set out to create the ultimate prop-tech solution.”

“I’ve been absolutely floored by the reaction so far – from both suppliers and would-be customers.”

Read more about tradespeople.

©1999 – Present | Parkmatic Publications Ltd. All rights reserved | LandlordZONE® – TECH: Fed up hunting down reliable tradespeople, landlord launches his own search site | LandlordZONE.

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LATEST: Landlord wins review of selective licensing scheme for ‘value for money’

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External auditors are to investigate selective licensing in Nottingham following a complaint about whether it provides value for money.

One of the city’s landlords has made a formal objection about the scheme which charges them up to £890 every five years for each rental property. John Gregory, from auditor Grant Thornton, spoke to councillors at the last audit committee about the issues raised, reports Notts TV.

He said: “It concerns the value for money of the scheme and the way it was managed. How much it costs. How much it has brought in terms of fees paid by the landlords. Basically, whether it was a worthwhile exercise.”

Giles Inman (pictured), business development manager at landlord group EMPO, tells LandlordZONE that it supports the landlord’s challenge as there are no effective measures to property regulate the scheme.

“Other councils inspect properties prior to a licence being issued and afterwards, while Nottingham just say they’ll attempt to inspect 50% of the properties in the five-year period,” he explains.

“How can the council properly regulate it if they’re not doing those inspections? This should be about safeguarding and protecting tenants.”

Set up in August 2018, the scheme covers about 26,000 properties and comes to an end in July 2023. Nottingham Council is set to approach the government to apply for a renewal in October.

EMPO says it will consider forming a committee to draft a submission against the renewal once it has had a chance to look at the council’s own study into the scheme’s success.

Councillor Jane Lakey told the recent meeting that she wanted to know whether it was an efficient, well-run scheme before making a decision. She added: “On a wider context, I have actually looked for reports on the effectiveness of selective licensing and I am yet to find one.”

©1999 – Present | Parkmatic Publications Ltd. All rights reserved | LandlordZONE® – LATEST: Landlord wins review of selective licensing scheme for ‘value for money’ | LandlordZONE.

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Landlords report wave of ‘unfair’ HMO council tax revaluations that quadruple bills

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Councils are seeking to reclassify HMO properties as multiple single dwellings for council tax purposes to raise additional revenue, it has been reported.

Conservative MP and former cabinet member Penny Mourdaunt has criticised the wave of revaluations in comments to The Telegraph newspaper, saying that: “This is a growing problem, and it is arbitrary. It is stopping homes from being built because developers’ business models become unviable.”

Many of the 500,000 HMO landlords in the UK offer rooms within their properties via a single monthly charge including rent, bills and council tax.

This is usually calculated and paid based on the property size but now councils are changing the way they interpret the rules and treating the HMO rooms as individual homes with separate council tax bills.

It is claimed that the revaluations mean that, in many cases, if landlords are forced to pass on the extra cost, tenants face a 20-25% rise in rent to cover the extra cost.

A rising number of landlords are now facing a tough decision over whether to foot the bill themselves or hike their rents to cover the shortfall.

Read advice about council tax and landlords

The Telegraph cites one landlord told by the Valuation Office Agency that his HMO’s council tax bill would rise from £1,821 to £7,287, while another was reported to have filed for bankruptcy after his pair of 12-bedroom HMOs were re-classified.

The British Property Federation claims councils are targeting areas of their boroughs where HMOs are at their most dense in a bid to raise extra funds as central government funding dwindles year on year.

Read the Telegraph article (requires subscription).

©1999 – Present | Parkmatic Publications Ltd. All rights reserved | LandlordZONE® – Landlords report wave of ‘unfair’ HMO council tax revaluations that quadruple bills | LandlordZONE.

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Pay by Direct Debit to automatically get the £150 council tax rebate

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Households across England are being urged to set up direct debits with their local council to receive a £150 council tax rebate to help families manage the costs of living inflation.

People who pay council tax by direct debit

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Led by EPC assessor or retrofit specialist?

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EPCs give very brief ‘recommendations’ in order to increase your score and rating but……what maybe ‘recommended’ may not be right for your property. Are we then supposed to employ another specialist to look at the building in terms of seeing IF the recommendation chosen earlier WILL actually be compatible with it long term?

View Full Article: Led by EPC assessor or retrofit specialist?

EXCLUSIVE: Lettings firm goes bust leaving trail of 200 unprotected deposits and missing paperwork

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A long-established letting agent has gone bust, leaving more than 200 deposits unprotected and many landlords without tenancy agreements and gas and EPC certificates.

Pendley Estates in Kings Langley, Hertfordshire, was a formerly reputable firm that had been trading since the 1980s, but suddenly closed its doors earlier this month.

One local letting agent says that out of 300 managed properties, only 90 had their deposits protected. He tells LandlordZONE: “We know this figure adds up to at least £325,000 but it’s definitely going to be more.”

He has also uncovered issues of rent going missing, while some landlords have found out there were no tenancy agreements, gas or EPC certificates.

He adds: “With those landlords I have taken on, they are going to write their tenants cheques for the deposit and start a new agreement which will close the hole.”

One landlord, who lost £1,100, is now going through an official deposit protection scheme, knowing he won’t get that money back.

“I’m cheesed off, but at least I’m no longer paying Pendley Estates any more commission,” he tells LandlordZONE. “I don’t think some people realise it’s down to the landlord to protect the deposit and I’ve made sure I’ve clarified the situation with my other properties.”

Administrator’s comments

A spokeswoman for the administrator Buchler Phillips Group tells LandlordZONE: “Once the company is in liquidation, steps will be taken to advise all stakeholders of the position as regard to funds held or deposited in their name.

“At present, we are unable to make any comments as to the recoverability of funds for landlords, tenants, or other creditors. We are aware that certain deposits may not have been protected – this matter will be urgently investigated once a liquidator has been appointed.”

Belvoir Watford is working with Buchler Philips to take over the management of Pendley Estates’ property portfolio. 

LandlordZONE has approached Pendley Estates for comment.

Read more about deposits and collapsed property firms.

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