Another city council prepares to clamp-down on smaller HMOs

admin    Uncategorized     agents

Peterborough councillors hope to come down harder on the growth of smaller HMOs by introducing a trial Article 4 Direction.

It comes only a few weeks after the authority agreed to push for a new selective licensing scheme covering 40% of all private rental properties. It will now ask the Secretary of State whether it can introduce a direction in the city, meaning that smaller HMOs would need to apply for planning consent.

Hampton, Fletton and Woodston and Park have been chosen for the trial, following a public consultation last year which flagged up potential issues in these areas. If a trial goes ahead and is successful, the council says it could be extended to other areas of the city.

Councillor Marco Cereste (pictured), cabinet member for climate change, planning, housing and transport, says: “HMOs have their place in any city as a low-cost form of accommodation for residents.

“We are looking to better regulate all HMOs, including smaller ones, so we know where they are located in the city and can make sure that any issues arising from high density living – either for residents themselves or their neighbours – can be dealt with swiftly.”

Thousands

Meanwhile, in Leicester, the council has agreed to extend its Article 4 direction to more areas of the city, covering thousands more homes.

Following a public consultation, the West End zone will now be extended to stretch from Rowley Fields, to Westcotes, Newfoundpool and parts of the Waterside area, while the Clarendon Park area will incorporate much of Knighton Fields, Knighton, Stoneygate and part of Aylestone.

A third new area will include much of Spinney Hills and Highfields.

View Full Article: Another city council prepares to clamp-down on smaller HMOs

Two-thirds of landlords doubtful about purchase of non-EPC compliant properties

admin    Uncategorized     agents

More than two-thirds of landlords say they would be less likely to purchase a property if it has an Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) rating of below C, according to new research. 

The findings, carried out by Foundation Home loans

View Full Article: Two-thirds of landlords doubtful about purchase of non-EPC compliant properties

Stopping the legislation, regulation and judicial PRS landlord bashing?

admin    Uncategorized     agents

I have said it before – probably this time last year – and I’ll say it again the only way to get PRS Landlords fair treatment, and recognition of taking up the social housing mantle – which many of us have done

View Full Article: Stopping the legislation, regulation and judicial PRS landlord bashing?

Guarantor for tenancy already running?

admin    Uncategorized     agents

Hello, In today’s unusual economic climate we (and many other landlords) have started having guarantors for every lease, as tenants may either lose a job, become ill and unable to work, or otherwise be unable to pay a rent that was previously no trouble for them.

View Full Article: Guarantor for tenancy already running?

Writing on the wall for PRS livelihoods?

admin    Uncategorized     agents

Will the mass exodus of landlords wreck the livelihoods of professionals and stakeholders in the private rental sector?

Landlords have sold 400,000 properties since 2019, when the total number of private rental properties peaked at 4.9 million. Shockingly

View Full Article: Writing on the wall for PRS livelihoods?

Property management and messaging software?

admin    Uncategorized     agents

Hello to All, I’m hoping that the clever clogs amongst the community might be able to offer a view on whether I can legally obligate my tenant – by means of a clause in an AST – that they HAVE to communicate with me as the landlord via the web and app based management portal we currently use (Arthur Online).

View Full Article: Property management and messaging software?

NEW: Lawyers warn of ‘huge gaps’ in legal aid for tenants facing eviction

admin    Uncategorized     agents

Large areas of the country will be without vital legal advice to prevent eviction if the government can’t get law firms to take part in its Housing Loss Prevention Advice Service, the Law Society has warned.

The scheme, which gives free legal aid advice for people facing repossession, will replace in-court work provided under the Housing Possession and Court Duty Scheme from August. However, it has failed to attract any bids in 12 areas of the UK, including Liverpool, Hull, Darlington and High Wycombe.

Law Society president Lubna Shuja (main picture) says it shows just how unviable the service has become for providers. “As a result, some are instead choosing to leave the legal aid market altogether,” she explains.

“We are really concerned that this could lead to less support being available for families at risk of losing their home at a time when we are in the middle of a cost-of-living crisis. More and more people are struggling with rising rents, spiralling debt and mortgage costs.”

Possession proceedings

The new advice service will also provide non-means, non-merited tested advice on housing welfare benefits and debt when a landlord or mortgage lender threatens possession proceedings.

The Law Society believes 24.4 million people (41%) do not have access to a housing legal aid provider and is calling on the government to provide an immediate injection of funding into the system to prevent it from collapse. It reports that between July and September 2022 there were 21,012 landlord repossession actions, up 106% on the same period in 2021.

The solicitors’ professional body has previously warned that spending cuts in the justice system are hitting possession hearings and impacting homelessness help following the Chancellor’s autumn statement which effectively reduced its budget.

View Full Article: NEW: Lawyers warn of ‘huge gaps’ in legal aid for tenants facing eviction

EPC upgrade rules may lead to landlords leaving, admits ‘net zero’ minister

admin    Uncategorized     agents

A government minister has admitted that landlords could quit the market unless upcoming changes to EPC rules are implemented carefully.

In a Lords debate to discuss the challenges of achieving net zero, Lord Callanan, Under Secretary in the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, said it was simple and straightforward to pass a regulation to improve the performance of the PRS.

However, he added: “If the net result of that is a net loss of privately rented accommodation, particularly in poorer parts of the country, there are many people who want that accommodation and we will not have gained anything.”

Criticised

The government has been repeatedly criticised for failing to respond to its consultation into the subject in 2020. In January 2021, it proposed a target that all new tenancies in the private rented sector should be in a property with an energy performance rating of at least a C by 2025 – extended to cover all tenancies in the sector by 2028.

Lord Foster of Bath urged the government to put landlords out of their misery. “How much longer must landlords wait to know exactly what the government want them to do to improve the energy efficiency of the privately rented sector?” he asked.

The private rented sector has no hope of meeting the deadline to improve EPC ratings, according to the NRLA. Speaking on Radio 4’s You and Yours programme, representative Richard Blanco said 2028 would be a more realistic target.

“We need an extra three years. There will be lots of challenges. Often the solution is external insulation which won’t be allowed in some areas. You can have loft insulation, LED lighting and thermostats on radiators but you might still not get from a D to a C.”

The government says it will respond to its consultation “in due course”.

View Full Article: EPC upgrade rules may lead to landlords leaving, admits ‘net zero’ minister

Generation Rent calls for proposed Section 8 eviction ‘loophole’ to be closed

admin    Uncategorized     agents

Tenants’ group Generation Rent has backed the DLUHC select committee’s call to close a loophole in proposed Section 8 reforms.

It says the government’s plan to ban Section 21 evictions but still allow landlords to evict tenants when needing to sell or move back into a property are flawed.

The Renters Reform Bill aims to introduce these grounds for possession which landlords could use in the first six months of a tenancy.

They could then only market or re-let these properties after three months. In its report, the Levelling Up, Housing and Communities Select Committee on Reforming the Private Rented Sector suggests this should be increased to one year and six months respectively.

Spot on

Generation Rent director Alicia Kennedy says the committee is spot on with its warning that the proposed eviction grounds could be too easily exploited by bad landlords and leave renters vulnerable to unfair evictions.

“When landlords sell up, renters should get more protection from eviction including measures to encourage sales of tenanted properties and longer notice periods,” she says. 

“Private renters will never enjoy stability in their lives or have the power to complain about their home if they can be evicted without the landlord needing a reason.”

Holiday lets

Kennedy also praised the committee for showing an understanding of the need to control the rise of the holiday let sector and for greater efforts to improve energy efficiency in private rented homes.

“Private renters have been especially exposed to the rising cost of living, with rising rents and draughty homes. We now need to see urgent action from the government to bring forward their Bill to make these reforms a reality,” she adds.

The report urges the government to implement a tourist accommodation registration scheme and warns that banning Section 21 evictions will lead to a surge of possessions cases.

View Full Article: Generation Rent calls for proposed Section 8 eviction ‘loophole’ to be closed

Government PRS reforms report welcomed by NRLA

admin    Uncategorized     agents

The National Residential Landlords Association (NRLA) has welcomed reform recommendations in a report from MPs for the private rented sector (PRS).

Among the recommendations, the Levelling Up, Housing and Communities Select Committee’s report calls for the development of a specialist housing court to tackle anti-social behaviour and rent arrears cases.

View Full Article: Government PRS reforms report welcomed by NRLA