Landlord fined after tenants spend Xmas and NY without water or decent heating

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An experienced landlord who left a family with a baby without water or adequate heating in their rented property over Christmas and New Year has been fined.

Anthony Wardrop, 79, of The Parade, Hartlepool, had denied a charge of failing to comply with an Improvement Notice served in January 2022 but was found guilty when he appeared at Peterlee Magistrates’ Court

Wardrop, acting on behalf of Sedgedene Estates, who’s also a director of a used car firm, was fined £1,000 and ordered to pay £580 in costs for failing to carry out work to make the property in Westmoreland Street safe.

Water supply

The court heard the landlord had failed to ensure a constant water supply was provided to the rented property. This had left the family, including a baby and two older children, without water or adequate heating over Christmas and New Year in 2021.

The Improvement Notice, issued by Darlington Council’s private sector housing officers, also ordered him to carry out basic duties in the property such as providing gas and electricity safety certificates, ensuring the property had adequate heating and was free from damp and mould.

Wardrop had delayed carrying out works inside the property for several months which only started after investigations for the prosecution began, despite continued efforts by the council to help him.

Councillor Mike Renton (pictured), cabinet member for stronger communities, says: “The owner of this property failed to carry out the basic responsibilities required of him as a landlord, leaving a young family without water or adequate heating which is simply not acceptable.

“This prosecution sends out a very clear message that we will take strong action against any landlord who doesn’t ensure the safety of their tenants.”

Read more about improvement notices.

View Full Article: Landlord fined after tenants spend Xmas and NY without water or decent heating

Evidence from solicitors?

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Hello, I have a tenant who has contacted a solicitor regarding the condition of the flat’s drainage problem, mould, damp and mice infestation.

I received a letter from her solicitor just after Christmas regarding the problems she says she has.

View Full Article: Evidence from solicitors?

Flagship government campaign empowers social tenants to complain

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A new government campaign will urge social housing tenants to complain about substandard housing as part of its flagship ‘Make it right’ campaign.

Housing Secretary Michael Gove is urging tenants to make their voices heard by complaining to their landlord before escalating an issue to the Housing Ombudsman if they are unhappy with the landlord’s final response.

View Full Article: Flagship government campaign empowers social tenants to complain

Fire test certificate needed?

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Hello, I let a 5 bed semi detached. The house is over 2 floors, ground and first. I have radio controlled fire safety fitted in the hall and landing.

My local authority is asking for a fire test safety certificate.

View Full Article: Fire test certificate needed?

Luton landlord to pay thousands after ‘hindering’ property safety probe

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A Luton landlord has been fined for the unusual offence of failing to provide documents relating to safety issues at his property.

Sarfraz Yousaf, of New Bedford Road, the director of Poplar Homes Ltd (pictured), was prosecuted by Luton Council after it reported that his reticence had hindered its investigation.

Last summer, the authority received a complaint relating to the poor condition of the house in St Peters Road. It alleged that the property did not have any fixed heating provision, no hot water and inadequate water services.

It was also reported that there were no smoke detectors, and the electric cooker was inappropriately connected and not conforming to current standards.

Failed

Poplar Homes (main image) was asked to provide the necessary information including ownership details as well as gas and electrical safety certificates, but repeatedly failed to do so and the council began legal proceedings.

Yousaf admitted the offence of not providing the correct and necessary documentation at Luton Magistrate’s Court. Poplar Homes was fined £3,977, plus a victim surcharge of £1,231, and costs of £508, while the landlord was fined £768, plus a victim surcharge of £307.

Documents

The firm has been tasked with making the necessary improvements to the property and the council is working to ensure these are carried out, according to councilor Tom Shaw (pictured), portfolio holder for housing. He says part of any investigation requires it to be satisfied that the necessary documents are held.

“Failure to demonstrate that is a serious offence in its own right,” adds Shaw. “The quality of the property investigated was not of a sufficiently high standard and we have demanded that the landlords resolve this as quickly as possible.”

Read more: how to ensure you property is compliant.

View Full Article: Luton landlord to pay thousands after ‘hindering’ property safety probe

Rent Controls – Should we be scared?

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At the time I sold my last business in 2013, I was renting a house. I had owned, extended and refurbished many homes before and had also owned a portfolio of flats. But when the money from my business sale hit my bank account I did not own any property.

View Full Article: Rent Controls – Should we be scared?

EXCLUSIVE: NI landlords voice major concerns over renting reforms

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Landlords in Northern Ireland fear new legislation to give private renters greater protection could herald further sweeping changes that force more to quit the sector.

Sections 1-6 of the Private Tenancies Act (Northern Ireland) 2022 take effect on 1st April when landlords can no longer ask for a tenancy deposit of more than one month’s rent, while the time they have to protect a deposit increases from 14 to 28 days.

There is also a requirement for landlords to provide both new and current tenants with a notice containing tenancy information and to give them a notice of variation when any changes are made to their tenancies.

However, the Landlords Association for Northern Ireland (LANI) says there is more potentially worrying legislation waiting in the wings, namely Section 7 of the Act which would restrict the frequency of rent increases to once every 12 months, along with stringent rent control measures. Although they have been outlined, regulations must be made for these new measures to begin.

Extra paperwork

“Extra paperwork and increasing burdens on landlords may already be sufficient for quite a number to exit the market,” a spokesman tells LandlordZONE.

“There are also reserve powers within this new legislation that allow the government to demand that landlords reduce rents by 10% or to freeze rents for up to four years. Other provisions include the requirement to get private rented properties up to an EPC band C.”

HMO landlords in Belfast also face the additional burden of having to be available 24-7 to help officials if problems arise – or face a £2,500 fine.

“Rents have gone up by 10-15% in the last year due to excessive legislation,” adds the spokesman. “Any more could be the straw that breaks the camel’s back.”

Read more about Northern Ireland.

View Full Article: EXCLUSIVE: NI landlords voice major concerns over renting reforms

LATEST: One in three landlords who remortgage will fail affordability tests

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One in three landlords could be forced to sell up after failing their lender’s affordability test to re-mortgage, it has been claimed.

The stark warning comes from buy-to-let specialist Mortgages for Business which says some buy-to-let investors are being forced to accept variable rates as high as 9.5%. Others are disposing of properties because they can no longer afford their loans.

Some lenders are offering landlord borrowers product transfers, a new deal without asking them to pass a new stress test, while others will allow borrowers to re-mortgage back to them at reduced fees, but not all, says MD Gavin Richardson (pictured), who explains it’s a critical time for the sector. 

“We’re seeing landlords coming off rates of 3.5% and being unable to re-mortgage because, according to the lender’s stress test, their loan is no longer affordable,” he adds. 

“Unable to secure a new deal and with nowhere else to go, their loans are reverting to the lender’s standard variable rate which average about 7.5%.

“In the worst-case scenario, they are moving to their lender’s standard variable rate at rates as high as 9.5%. 

“Their only other options are to pay a socking-great fee to secure a more reasonable interest rate, which can cost them tens of thousands of pounds, or they can sell up and go home.”

£1,200 a month

Richardson gives the example of a landlord charging £1,200 a month rent with a mortgage of £225,000 coming off a fixed rate of 3.99% who would now be offered a re-mortgage of £180,893, based on a rate of 5.49%, falling £44,000 short of the loan amount they need. 

“At a rate of 5.99% the shortfall rises even higher to £59,207 while at 6.29% it is £67,114. To be accepted for a re-mortgage of £225,000, the landlord would have to increase the rent by nearly £300 to £1,495.”

Read more about landlord mortgages.

View Full Article: LATEST: One in three landlords who remortgage will fail affordability tests

Are councils acting illegally when telling tenants to stay put?

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Are councils following the law when telling tenants to stay put when they are facing eviction to protect them? Or is the council simply kicking the can further down the road?

The simple answer is – no-one seems to know.

View Full Article: Are councils acting illegally when telling tenants to stay put?

City council urges ‘Awaab’s law’ to cover ALL rented homes

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Planned legislation known as ‘Awaab’s law’ that will make councils and housing associations fix reported health hazards – including damp and mould – within strict new time limits should be extended to private rented homes too, one council suggests.

Oxford City Council is following in the footsteps of Citizens’

View Full Article: City council urges ‘Awaab’s law’ to cover ALL rented homes