Don’t panic! Renting reforms are far from ‘oven ready’ PRS chief tells webinar

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Landlords have been advised not to panic or believe all the scaremongering in the wake of the government’s radical Fairer Renting proposals.

The Property Redress Scheme’s helpline was inundated within hours of last week’s announcement, reports head of redress Sean Hooker, but he believes the proposals aren’t “oven ready”.

Speaking on Goodlord’s Newsagent podcast, Hooker says the upcoming consultation with key stakeholders will be key to shaping a Bill which looks set to go through Parliament in the Spring.

“We will be able to feedback to the government,” he adds. “We can’t change the fundamentals, but we can guide the direction of travel.”

Property portal

Hooker says the proposed new property portal – focusing on homes rather than landlords – in theory means providing a holistic experience by monitoring properties to focus attention on failing landlords

But measuring these standards will be the issue, he adds.

“You could incorporate electricity and gas safety information, deposit information and insurance information,” says Hooker.

“It also makes sense for the government to take ownership and for others like us to have licence and access to this that will help delivery of services.”

Hooker is less positive about the value of a new single ombudsman that all landlords must join.

“In lots of sectors there’s only one ombudsman, but our sector is complex as there’s a host of others involved in the property market, so a single one-stop shop is not the entire answer,” explains Hooker.

“You also can’t wait months to deal with issues – they need dealing with in real time.”

And the challenge of what’s reasonable when it comes to landlords having an excuse for turning down a pet is put succinctly by Hooker: “You could argue that keeping a Great Dane in a one-bedroom studio flat on the 31^st floor of a tower block isn’t the wisest thing to do – but you can’t have a complete ban.”

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Landlord gives key evidence during trial of parents accused of son’s murder

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A landlord has given evidence in the Sebastian Kalinowski murder trial, who died at his home in Huddersfield.

Prosecutors allege his mother Agnieszka Kalinowska, 35, and her partner Andrzej Latoszewski, 36, subjected him to a campaign of abuse before his death in August 2021.

The landlord told in a statement read to Leeds Crown Court how he discovered a CCTV system had been put up in 301 Leeds Road, reports Yorkshire Live. The property (pictured) has since been boarded up.

He said: “Sometime after he moved into the house I attended to cut back some bushes and I noticed a camera under a windowsill, and a camera in the garden, situated between plants.”

The landlord said no one had asked his permission to install it and when asked about it, his tenants said they felt “unsafe” and that tenants next door were “rough”.

Footage

He said he became aware of a camera in the living room and he knew from Latoszewski, “he could view the footage on his phone”. He added: “I know there was at least one internal camera.”

The court heard that the landlord had intended to sell the property but did not tell the defendants at the time, and arranged for estate agents to carry out valuations.

He said: “They were not very happy at all, they had their own personal things in the house, especially when an estate agent had been a week before. I was quite surprised – I had never had any problems with them.”

The defendants are charged with murder, manslaughter, neglect, and allowing or causing the death of 15-year-old Sebastian.

Latoszewski has admitted manslaughter and both defendants have admitted cruelty to a child under the age of 16. The court has heard from family friends about ‘punishments’ he had to endure, and about texts between the defendants describing what they were doing as ‘torture’.

The trial continues.

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Liverpool granting licences to Agents and not Landlords?

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I have received a letter today from a Letting Agent:

“We have been in discussion with Liverpool Council regarding the issuing of licenses under their new Selective Licensing Scheme. We have had a number of applications rejected on the basis that the landlord is not the most appropriate person to hold the licence.

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Disclosing confidential tenant details to loss adjuster?

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My tenants, a family of about 4 years have absconded. They were 2 months in rent arrears, left the water on and there were other malicious damages. I am currently going through the Landlord Insurance claim.

It is a very slow process and the Loss adjuster is requesting so much information including the confidential ones and those that are data protected like IDs

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