NEW: Gove reveals £14m council ‘fighting fund’ to crack down on rogue landlords

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The government has shared out £14 million between seven areas in England to crack down on rogue landlords and help councils drive up standards.

Funding includes £2.3 million for Greater Manchester – including Rochdale and the surrounding councils – to increase the use of fines for offending landlords; £678,000 for Leeds to use ‘behavioural science’ to change culture among landlords, improving knowledge and skills; and £1.14 million for Cornwall to create a database of private rented accommodation and record standards to target better enforcement action.

Other areas in line for a cash handout are Derbyshire Dales, Eden, Liverpool and Ryedale.

Speaking on the Today programme, Housing Secretary Michael Gove said it wanted to make sure that renters in the PRS were confident local government was on their side and standing up for them.

“We have a commitment to protect people in the private rented sector more effectively – it’s vitally important that we stand up for tenants,” said Gove, agreeing that there was a concern some people were too frightened to complain to their landlord.

anti-social tenants

“We are going to be bringing forward more legislation to improve the position of people in the private rented sector. Legislation will also ensure those landlords dealing with the tiny minority of tenants who are anti-social or deliberately not paying rent can also be dealt with as well.”

However, the minister would not be drawn on a date for the long-awaited Renters’ Reform Bill which he only promised would, “come in the next calendar year – 2023”.

Earlier this week, he wrote to all councils and housing associations, telling them they must raise the bar dramatically on standards and demanding urgent action where tenants complain about damp and mould.

View Full Article: NEW: Gove reveals £14m council ‘fighting fund’ to crack down on rogue landlords

LATEST: Council tax crisis for HMO tenants averted after Commons statement

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The Government has averted a looming crisis in the HMO sector that would have seen many tenants charged individually for council tax, rather than paying a share of the property’s annual bill.

As LandlordZONE revealed last month, MPs Penny Mordaunt and Caroline Dinenage, both of whom have constituencies featuring significant HMO densities, have been putting pressure on Ministers to reign in the Valuation Office Agency.

The government agency, at the behest of some 50+ councils around the UK but particularly in Portsmouth where Dinenage is an MP, has been reclassifying rooms within HMOs as individual homes – much to the horror of tenants and their landlords.

But relief is now at hand. In a statement to the House of Commons, Dehenna Davison, Parliamentary Under Secretary of State at DLUHC, told fellow MPs that a consultation on the problem is to be launched in January that will “look at situations where individual tenants can, in certain circumstances, be landed with their own council tax bill and will consider whether the valuation process needs to change,” she said.

Exceptional circumstances

“Our clear intention is for HMOs to be classed as single dwellings, other than in exceptional circumstances.”

Any changes will be part of the Government’s Levelling-Up and Regeneration Bill, but Davison told Dover MP Natalie Elphicke that adjustments to reimburse councils for the ‘lost income’ would be made via regulations rather than wait for the Bill to gain royal assent “as a matter of urgency”.

Richard Graham, MP for Gloucester, said he was glad that Ministers had listened to both MPs and those outside parliament, and that it would be “incredibly reassuring for people who are renting in HMOs”.

Landlord Daryn Brewer from the HMO Council Tax reform group that has been lobbying MPs on the issue, told LandlordZONE: “We are delighted to hear that the government is taking this issue seriously and that landlords and tenants have been listed to about the concerns of Council Tax being charged on bedrooms within HMOs.”

Read the debate/Ministerial statement in full.

View Full Article: LATEST: Council tax crisis for HMO tenants averted after Commons statement

Developer offers novel ‘no fees or conditions’ contracts to pet-owning tenants

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A new pet-friendly build-to-rent development in Manchester promises to embrace tenants’ furry friends without charging any extras or laying down preconditions for tenants.

Northern Group’s The Quarters on Spear Street and Oldham Street boasts that it’s well ahead of new tenancy regulations lined up as part of the Renters’ Reform Bill which would mean landlords will not be able to impose a ‘no pets’ clause without good reason.

Residents in The Quarters who have pets don’t pay additional charges or a deposit for their animals, unlike many other developers. 

They also don’t need to take extra insurance out or pay extra for check-out inventories and have the same contracts as those without pets.

Vetted

Animals are always vetted before moving in, but it tells LandlordZONE: “We haven’t come across a case where a potential resident hasn’t been approved.”

The building has a dedicated rooftop for dog meetups and walks, complete with bins and dog bowls and residents get a free introductory dog walk to test out local pet companion services in the area. Rents for the apartments start at £1,075 for an unfurnished one-bed.

Paul Dobbs (pictured), chief operating officer at Northern Group, explains: “There’s a real need to provide more pet-friendly rental accommodation as demand for rentals that let you own a pet is huge – three in four tenants are reportedly looking for exactly this, and we can safely rubber stamp this data as already 50% of new tenants coming to The Quarters own a pet”.

Read more: What does BTR mean for BTL?

View Full Article: Developer offers novel ‘no fees or conditions’ contracts to pet-owning tenants

Non-Companies House director?

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Hello, We have a person who works very hard for our freehold company looking after the block in which we all live. His professional job prevents him registering as a director at Companies House.

At the moment, he can’t vote when we make decisions.

View Full Article: Non-Companies House director?

Government to fund rogue landlord crackdown

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The government has today revealed that it will fund councils with high numbers of ‘poor privately rented homes’ in a bid to crack down on rogue landlords and drive-up standards in the private rented sector (PRS).

The announcement by the Department for Levelling Up

View Full Article: Government to fund rogue landlord crackdown

Property transactions will plummet by 17% as seasonal slowdown approaches

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The UK’s property market could see transactions slide by as much as 17% come spring of next year – and the downward trend could start next month as the market winds down for the Christmas period, one property purchasing specialist says.

View Full Article: Property transactions will plummet by 17% as seasonal slowdown approaches