Revealed: Largest number of house price reductions are in this area

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The South-East is home to the highest proportion of asking price reduced properties, according to new research. 

Quick-buy firm House Buyer Bureau, says 21% of properties in the South-East are being reduced in price by almost 20%.

The firm analysed the latest statistics on asking price reductions across the market in Britain using figures from PropertyData.

View Full Article: Revealed: Largest number of house price reductions are in this area

LATEST: Trading Standards issues new guidance for landlords on ground rents

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Trading Standards has released new guidance to help landlords and leaseholders get to grips with the Leasehold Reform (Ground Rent) Act.

The law – published last June – effectively put an end to ground rents for most new long residential leasehold properties in England and Wales.

National Trading Standards Estate and Letting Agency Team (NTSELAT) has now created free resources in a dedicated area on its website.

As well as providing an overview and links to statutory guidance published by the government, stage one and two complaint letter templates can be downloaded when demanding a refund of any prohibited rent payment. These letters are available in both English and Welsh.

The website signposts users to The Leasehold Advisory Service (LEASE) and Citizens Advice Consumer Service (CACS) if they need more advice or to make a complaint about a landlord who has demanded a prohibited rent. 

Missing forms

Investigator Cara McParland says it identified early in the project that the First Tier Tribunal (Property Chamber) and Welsh Leasehold Valuation Tribunal had not published application forms for leaseholders to apply for a recovery order under section 13 of the Act.

She adds: “We are continuing to liaise with both governments and will update the consumer area of our website as soon as the forms are published.”

Trading Standards has also published new information for enforcement officers to make sure the Act is consistently enforced, including a one-minute guide to the new law and a model enforcement policy they can use and adapt.

View Full Article: LATEST: Trading Standards issues new guidance for landlords on ground rents

Tenant claims deposit was given in cash?

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We are in dispute with a tenant that upped and left over a mouse in the house. That’s another story. However, they failed to read the meter on leaving and the electrical company have refused to refund them. They demanded we pay their electric bill and return their deposit.

View Full Article: Tenant claims deposit was given in cash?

Concern over plan for single ombudsman covering whole of housing market

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Estate agents have criticised the Government’s plans to usher in a single ombudsman for the property industry, claiming it will have unintended consequences.

Under the plans, the existing redress schemes for estate agents and their customers will be replaced by an overarching ombudsman organisations that will also cover landlords and their tenants.

This proposal is part of the looming Renters Reform Bill due to be introduced during the current parliament, although plans to introduce redress for landlords has been in the pipeline since Theresa May’s time in office.

Timothy Douglas (main image), Head of Policy at Campaigns at Propertymark, which is the main trade association for agents in the UK, says he is concerned that the Committee has recommended that the UK Government introduce a single ombudsman for the whole of the private rented sector without considering its impact.

Significant change

“Such a significant change needs thorough consideration of the implications on the system as a whole,” he says.

“Alongside letting agents, sales and managing agents are also currently legally required to belong to one of the existing redress schemes, therefore removing these schemes and replacing with one for letting agents and landlords will have knock on effects for the housing sector which the Committee has failed to realise.”

Concerns

Sean Hooker, Head of Redress at the Property Redress Scheme, one of the UK’s two main ombudsman organisations, also reveals his concerns about the proposals.

“Whilst we agree with the principle of a single route for tenants to access effective and affordable complaint resolution the calls for a single body to achieve this are, as Propertymark point out are problematic,” he says.

“Nearly half of landlords use agents in some capacity, many because of their expertise or because the landlord does not live locally, so requiring them to engage with a redress scheme will be challenging. 

“It also does not make sense to reinvent the wheel for agent redress, which works well with two highly experienced and expert redress schemes having successfully operated for years now. 

“I cannot see how either trying to solve the issue of consumer confusion, by introducing yet another ombudsman or trying to start from scratch with a one size fits all body is practical or will benefit anyone. 

“Instead, integrating landlord redress and plugging the gaps such as rent to rent, into the existing process, incorporate mediation but having a single, accessible entry point, with assistance guidance and signposting is the way forward.”

View Full Article: Concern over plan for single ombudsman covering whole of housing market

Daily Telegraph wants to talk to landlords about regaining possession of their homes

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Are you a landlord who has recently experienced difficulties regaining possession of your property? Then, Alexa Phillips, personal finance reporter for the Telegraph, would like to speak with you. Alexa wants to talk to Property 118 readers about:

Which eviction process did you use (eg section 21 or section 8)?

View Full Article: Daily Telegraph wants to talk to landlords about regaining possession of their homes

Tenant lied about receiving S8 Notice hearing adjourned?

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S.8 Notice was hand delivered and also posted 1st class, proof of postage and pictures showing delivery by hand were submitted. The Duty solicitor quoted Enfield v Devonish (1996, CofA) which the Judge had not heard of and was clearly frustrated and said it is not in dispute that the notice was served but there is no evidence the tenant had sight of it.

View Full Article: Tenant lied about receiving S8 Notice hearing adjourned?

Landlord wins landmark knotweed compensation case in Court of Appeal

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A landlord in Wales has set a cat among the legal pigeons after winning a landlord Japanese knotweed compensation case in the Court of Appeal.

Its three judges have agreed that Marc Davies, 38, must be paid just shy of £5,000 by his local authority Bridgend council which, it was established, had allowed knotweed to spread from a local cycle track it owned onto the graden of the landlord’s property in the village of Nan-y-Moel in the Ogmore Valley, which is tenanted.

In a landmark decision that could open the gate to more claims against local authorities and other land owners, the Court of Appeal has ruled that Davies is entitled to compensation for the ‘blight’ affecting his property following the weed’s invasion of his garden.

The Court of Appeal judges, which have now overturned two earlier decisions by lower courts that did not go Davies way, concluded that although work had been completed to remove knotweed from the site ‘as best as it can be’ by the council, there had been a ‘residual’ diminution in value of the property, also called ‘blight’, to the value claimed.

Important decision

Tom Carter (pictured), the barrister who represented Davies, has confirmed this is an important decision, saying: “It confirms that a homeowner who suffers a loss in the value of their home from the stigma left by Japanese knotweed even after it has been treated can recover damages for that loss.”

Large sums are involved despite the small compensatory sum – it has cost Davies’ local authority, Bridgend Council, some £300,000 in legal costs thus far.

The decision also highlights the huge problems that knotweed presents namely that once land has been contaminated by the plant and its rhizomes, the remedial measures needed to make any alterations to that land including in this case just gardening in it, can cause disturbance and cost.

This is because, in many cases, the entire topsoil has to be removed and disposed of to clear the land of the weed.

Read the judgement in full.

Read more about japanese knotweed.

View Full Article: Landlord wins landmark knotweed compensation case in Court of Appeal

Prices still high but rent rises easing

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High price rises in rental sector to continue in 2023 but signs show it may soon slow down, predicts agency chief. 

Figures point to a loosening of supply constraints that have been driving record rental increases.

View Full Article: Prices still high but rent rises easing