Rogue landlady who broke ‘every rule in the book’ is fined £14,500 by council

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A rogue landlord who lied about letting out a filthy and unlicensed HMO has been fined £14,500.

Lateef Bibi, of Oldway Lane, Slough, was taking cash in hand for the rent, had no tenancy agreements, and could not produce electrical and gas safety certificates for the property at 60, Richmond Crescent (pictured).

Slough Council’s housing team got a warrant to search the property in January, following a tip-off. Only a few weeks before, Bibi had told officers over the phone that it was not rented but was owner-occupied. However, during the search, they discovered she had converted it into seven bedrooms and was operating an unlicensed HMO. 

The property was found to have external padlocks on bedroom doors, poor bathroom and kitchen facilities with missing base units, rat droppings around the kitchen cupboards, cracked floor tiles and no fire door or adequate fire safety. Communal areas and bedrooms were damp and mouldy, while the small rear garden was full of old, rotten furniture. 

Poor state

Bibi was subsequently refused an HMO licence due to the property’s poor state and advised to appoint a managing agent. She admitted six housing offences at Reading Magistrates Court where she was also told to pay a £190 victim surcharge and £2,950 costs.  

Councillor Pavitar K Mann (pictured), lead member for housing and planning, says the prosecution is a positive result for the council and proves the need for landlord licences.

She adds: “It also shows the council’s commitment to investigating rogue landlords to ensure residents in private rented accommodation are safe and secure in their homes and landlords are held accountable.”

View Full Article: Rogue landlady who broke ‘every rule in the book’ is fined £14,500 by council

NEW: Shelter and NRLA ‘find common ground’ during joint podcast

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Shelter and the NRLA have found common ground in their desire for ending the freeze on Local Housing Allowance and the urgent need for more social housing.

Speaking on the NRLA’s Listen Up Landlords podcast compared by Richard Blanco, Ben Beadle and Shelter chief executive Polly Neate agreed that the PRS was hosting many tenants who would be better off in the social sector.

“The growth of the PRS is a symptom of the neglect of the social housing sector and that’s part of the reason why there are a considerable number of tenants in the PRS who really are struggling to afford their rent,” said Neate.

“We really need the government to look urgently at housing benefits and local housing allowance because otherwise, we are going to see people falling out from the private rented sector into homelessness, and that certainly isn’t what I want to see and I am confident it isn’t what landlords want to see either.”

Better served

Beadle agreed there were probably people in the PRS that would be better served in the social housing sector, but he added: “That doesn’t mean that the private rented sector needs to shrink as a result.

“We are in the midst of a supply crisis entirely of the government’s own making, because they recognise that the private rented sector is picking up the slack and rather than to provide alternative accommodation, they’ve chosen to tax the pants off it.”

Listen to the podcast.

The groups also shared the wish for a better-resourced court system to deal with legitimate evictions, but the consensus did not stretch to the abolition of Section 21.

Neate maintained that the abolition of no-fault evictions in Scotland had not negatively impacted tenants while Beadle explained: “Section 21 is simply a tool for getting your property back. Why would we evict a good tenant?”

Read more about Section 21 notices being abolished.

View Full Article: NEW: Shelter and NRLA ‘find common ground’ during joint podcast

Can a Local Housing Officer Force me to Install HHR Storage Heaters?

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Hello, I have a two bedroom flat that has modern electric panel wall heaters with thermostats and timer switches which run on standard rate electricity.

The tenant has a direct contract in their name with the electricity supplier.

View Full Article: Can a Local Housing Officer Force me to Install HHR Storage Heaters?

UPDATE: What landlords need to know after smoke and CO rules change

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The new Smoke and Carbon Monoxide Alarm (Amendment) Regulations 2022 come into force from October 1^st 2022. The new changes bring social housing in line with private rentals in England. Use this guide to clarify your legal obligations as a landlord to ensure that you comply.

What has changed with the new smoke alarm regulations?

The Smoke and Carbon Monoxide Alarm Regulations 2015 have required landlords of privately rented homes to install at least one smoke alarm on every level of a rented property that has rooms that are classed as ‘living accommodation’. This is now also the case in the social housing sector.

What type of smoke alarm is required in a rented property?

No rules have been stipulated for the type of smoke alarm needed. Whilst there is no requirement to install interlinked smoke alarms, this type of alarm gives the occupant a much better chance of escape. This may be of particular importance in properties with young children, the elderly or if the occupant has any impairment or vulnerability that may impact their ability to escape.

Landlords may also want to consider installing a smoke alarm with a long-life 10 year battery that will last the lifetime of the alarm. This type of alarm is tamper-proof, requires less maintenance and offers better value for money.

In addition, heat alarms are also recommended in the kitchen. With around 60% of fires in the home starting in the kitchen, installing an alarm here seems like a logical step. Heat alarms will not respond to normal cooking fumes and will only sound if a sharp rise in temperature is detected. This eliminates false alarms from cooking or burning the toast.

What are the requirements for CO alarms in rented homes?

Carbon monoxide alarms need to be installed in any room in a rented home where there is a fixed combustion appliance (this includes private rentals and social housing). Although these regulations currently exclude gas cookers, carbon monoxide alarms are also recommended where there is a gas hob or oven as these are also a recognised source of carbon monoxide.

Whilst there are no specifications for the type of CO alarm that should be installed, landlords should be mindful of poor quality alarms such as ‘black spot’ or ‘patch’ co alarms. It is highly recommended that any carbon monoxide alarm installed should adhere to the latest British Standards.

What are the landlords’ responsibilities for maintaining the alarms?

Smoke and CO alarms must be in good working order at the start of a tenancy. If the tenant reports that the alarm is not working, the landlord must replace or fix the alarm ‘as soon as is reasonably practicable’. The responsibility remains with the tenant to test alarms at least once a month and to report any issues. Both private and social landlords could be fined up to £5000 if these new regulations are breached.

New regulations for rented homes in Scotland and Wales

The regulations for smoke and carbon monoxide alarms in rented homes in Scotland and Wales have also changed in 2022. This legislation specifies the type of alarms that must be installed in rental properties so landlords in these areas must purchase alarms compliant with the latest Scottish regulations and Welsh regulations.

View Full Article: UPDATE: What landlords need to know after smoke and CO rules change

Tory conference reveals shocking extent of anti-landlord views within party

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Leading landlord figures squared up to Tory MPs at the inaugural Conservative Tenants and Landlords Forum during the party conference.

The NRLA’s Ben Beadle and Property Tribes’ Vanessa Warwick fought the sector’s corner at the meeting which aimed to discuss how to reform the rented sector with “win-win outcomes”.

Warwick tells LandlordZONE that MPs Natalie Elphicke and James Cartlidge were both anti-landlord and that Cartlidge claimed he had suggested drafting the Section 24 tax regime and increased stamp duty for second homeowners – policies which were taken up by then chancellor George Osborne.

“Cartlidge clearly didn’t understand that there is a massive shortage of landlords,” she says. “He wanted the PRS to shrink.”

Leverage

The MP also said landlords should not be able to use leverage to grow portfolios and that repayment mortgages would stop the growth of buy-to-let.

This anti-landlord rhetoric seems to have been a common theme at the Birmingham event, where Beadle has spoken about Michael Gove declaring that the PRS needs to shrink further.

Disconnect

Warwick told the fringe meeting that there was a massive disconnect between central and local government, with Whitehall trying to deter investors but local authorities desperate for landlords and even offering them golden hellos.

And while Cartlidge spoke about increasing social housing, the NRLA’s Beadle demanded to know what was happening in the short-term. He adds: “This government wants to turn Generation Rent into Generation Buy, but they have no idea of how to achieve that.”

Conservative rental market campaigner Tim Patmore set up the forum and aims to hold another event in November.

Pic (LtoR): Vanessa Warwick, Ben Beadle, James Cartlidge, Natalie Elphicke

View Full Article: Tory conference reveals shocking extent of anti-landlord views within party

First Scotland – now Wales calls for a rent freeze

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Just a day after the Scottish Government unveiled its legislation for introducing a rent freeze, politicians in Wales are calling for the same measure.

Plaid Cymru says it has forced the Welsh Government to look again at enacting a rent freeze and a moratorium on evictions.

View Full Article: First Scotland – now Wales calls for a rent freeze