Renters Reform Bill concern!

admin    Uncategorized     agents

Hello, After reading the Renters Reform Bill, try as I might, I can’t find any provision for landlords like me who wish to convert some of their portfolio to HMO’s.

My understanding is possession could only be gained for “serious arrears”

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Holiday lets to face national registration scheme soon, Bill amendment shows

admin    Uncategorized     agents

Short-term holiday properties will soon face a compulsory national registration scheme after and amendment has been to the Levelling Up and Regeneration Bill going through parliament.

Such a move has been in the offing for several months and follows an initial consultation on establishing a tourism accommodation register by the Department of Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS), the outcome of which in June indicated Ministers were keen on ‘considering’ such a scheme.

The UK Short Term Accommodation Association (STAA), the trade association representing the thousands of owners and businesses operating in this sharing economy sector, says it met with DCMS minister Stuart Andrew MP (pictured) a few days ago ahead of the policy announcement to discuss the finer points of the likely legislation after “months of work between the STAA and the Government”.

The trade body has been advocating for a national registration scheme to collect data on holiday rentals to support accurate reporting and policy decisions, and the Government is also considering linking holiday lets to the planning system, as they are in London.

It says that in order to be successful  the scheme should be simple for owners to register with, straightforward for authorities to administer and low cost to run.

Tiny proportion

Andy Fenner, CEO of the STAA, says: “Holiday lets represent a tiny proportion of the total housing market yet provide vital flexible jobs and investment in our communities.

“The STAA wants the highest standards across our industry and clear, easy-to-use registration helps us achieve that.
“We have worked closely with the Government’s tourism officials to help develop this registration scheme and are very pleased that it has been announced.”

STAA Chair, Merilee Karr (pictured) says: “Any new regulatory solution should recognise our industry as an important part of the wider UK tourism proposition, which means we need a solution that gets the balance right.”

Read more stories about holiday lets.

View Full Article: Holiday lets to face national registration scheme soon, Bill amendment shows

Borough to extend HMO licensing despite just 25% take-up of existing scheme

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The London borough of Greenwich has launched a consultation into renewing its additional licensing scheme.

The previous scheme ran from October 2017 and ended in September, and the council now wants landlords and tenants to help it decide whether to start it up again from April 2023.

This means that landlords won’t need to licence smaller HMOs until then.

Greenwich says those with an existing additional HMO licence can continue to use this until the five-year expiry date – provided a further scheme is approved. Any landlords who recently submitted a licence application which has not been issued can apply for a refund.

Fly tipping

A review of the previous scheme found it had been successful in improving conditions within HMOs and local communities, with a reduction in anti-social behaviour and fly tipping.

However, not all landlords licensed their properties; in 2021 it estimated that there were 5,000 HMOs in the borough but only about 1,240 had a licence (669 of these were additional licences) and the council hopes by extending the scheme it can secure wider compliance. Its report proposes that current licence fees of £408 will remain in place until April 2024.

In October, the borough introduced its selective licensing scheme in Woolwich Riverside, Woolwich Common, Shooters Hill, Plumstead Common and Plumstead Glyndon wards.

The online consultation ends on 18^th January.

View Full Article: Borough to extend HMO licensing despite just 25% take-up of existing scheme

Council’s slow admin means landlord licences to take 150 years to process!

admin    Uncategorized     agents

Liverpool Council would take almost 150 years to process all its selective licensing applications at the current rate, according to shocking new data, raising questions about its potential to address poor quality housing.

Housing bosses told the Liverpool Landlord Forum that since the scheme went live on 1st April, it has only granted 104 licences despite receiving about 31,000 applications, meaning that it would take the local authority 148 years to process them all at the current run rate, says the NRLA.

According to Freedom of Information data, between 2018/19 and 2020/21, out of 103 civil penalties issued to Liverpool’s private landlords, 89 of them were for offences related to the previous selective licensing scheme.

No penalties were issued for failing to comply with a property improvement notice, a banning order or a notice that a property was overcrowded. Only two penalties were issued for breaches of management regulations in shared housing.

This suggests that the council’s civil penalty strategy has served only to tackle administrative issues such as the failure to hold a licence rather than improving property conditions themselves, says NRLA chief executive Ben Beadle (pictured).

He adds: “If Liverpool Council really believes licensing is so key to ensuring properties are safe, it begs the question why it takes so long to process applications for them.

Licensing scheme

“At a time when the condition of housing is under such scrutiny, the council is spending too much time administering a licensing scheme and not enough time taking enforcement action to tackle poor quality housing.

“Rather than penalising good landlords with a blanket policy, the council should use the range of data already available to them to find and root out the minority of landlords who fail to provide safe housing.”

Read more about the Liverpool scheme.

View Full Article: Council’s slow admin means landlord licences to take 150 years to process!

Specialist network for HMO property managers reaches first major milestone

admin    Uncategorized     agents

The HMO Network has achieved another milestone in its growth by signing up its twentieth member since launching in January.

The group aims to help landlords find agents with specialist knowledge and gives members the benefit of being part of a larger group by providing supplier offers and training.

Its members now manage some 3,250 HMO tenancies across the UK and is the only network of its type, with a vision of continuing to drive up standards across the HMO management sector. Its first Welsh agent is based in Cardiff and there are more agents now waiting to join.

Quality

Founder Neil Baldock (main picture), who owns Chelmsford-based agency Charles David Casson, says the quality of members is exceptional.

“Our application process means that only bonafide, reputable HMO management agents are accepted into the network and they have the correct insurance policies and memberships to operate legally as a managing agent in the UK and are experienced in this specialist field,” he says.

“We are providing landlords with a network they can place their trust in when looking for an experienced and reputable managing agent.”

Baldock adds: “The level of knowledge sharing and collaboration happening is exceptional and landlords can benefit from this by choosing a member of The HMO Network when looking for an HMO managing agent.”

Agents who want to join up should contact Baldock to apply for membership and secure their exclusive territory.

View Full Article: Specialist network for HMO property managers reaches first major milestone

HMO changes with existing tenant?

admin    Uncategorized     agents

The Local Borough Council introduced changes to the government’s housing 2004 scheme at end of last year. We initially had potential issues with a 3-bed ground-floor flat however within several months they gave notice and moved.

(Current tenant well inside rules).

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UK house prices fall – but rents go up

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House prices in the UK have continued to fall but rents, fuelled by falling supply and increasing demand, have risen, a survey by RICS reveals.

According to the organisation’s Residential Survey for November, its members report that the flow of new homes to rent continues to dwindle –

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A fifth of rental homes are let within 2 weeks

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In Britain’s fastest-moving rental markets, up to 30% of homes are being snapped up by eager tenants within two weeks of being listed, research reveals.

Market analysis from Ocasa, the specialist rental platform, found that high demand continues to drive up rental values.

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