Landlord couple fined thousands after ignoring property repair notices

admin    Uncategorized     agents

A landlord couple have paid a heavy price for ignoring their tenant’s request to fix a boiler after being fined £3,500.

David and Emily Griffiths, of Tickhill Road, Harworth (pictured), Nottinghamshire left the tenant with no hot water or heating for three weeks.

During an inspection, Bassetlaw District Council officers also identified hazards relating to gas, electrical and food safety and structural issues at the property in Harworth and Bircotes.

The pair were each fined £990 with costs of £356 and a £396 victim surcharge, totalling £1,742 at Mansfield Magistrates Court.

Persistent

After the tenant’s first complaint in September 2021, the council received more complaints that although some problems had been rectified, there was a persistent issue with the central heating and hot water boiler. The landlords had not responded to their messages.

The council served a notice requiring the pair to carry out work which they failed to comply with, so the council was forced to replace the boiler.

Reimbursed

While the Griffiths communicated with the council throughout the process and have reimbursed the council for the replacement boiler, they failed to attend an interview under caution and did not attend the hearing, where the case was proven in their absence.

Councillor Jonathan Slater (pictured), cabinet member for housing and estates, says: “Mr and Mrs Griffiths failed their tenant and left them to live in conditions that were completely unacceptable.

“We hope that by highlighting this case, we send a message to neglectful landlords that if your properties do not meet the required standards, we can and will take action against you.”

Read more about recent landlord fines.

View Full Article: Landlord couple fined thousands after ignoring property repair notices

Announcing the 2023 Property Mastermind Scholarship and your chance to win

admin    Uncategorized     agents

Once a year, we award a fully paid scholarship to one lucky person, to join our 12-month Property Mastermind.

Today the search has begun, for the 2023 Scholarship winner, and it could be you.

I have recorded a short webinar for you

View Full Article: Announcing the 2023 Property Mastermind Scholarship and your chance to win

More than 1 million tenants will be over 65

admin    Uncategorized     agents

The private rented sector (PRS) needs to prepare for more than one million tenants being over the age of 65 by 2033, a report reveals.

The findings from Hamptons highlight that a major shift is underway as older generations are increasingly opting for or staying in rented accommodation.

View Full Article: More than 1 million tenants will be over 65

Midlands council reveals crackdown on unlicenced HMOs with unusual results

admin    Uncategorized     agents

A council crackdown has uncovered four unlicensed HMOs and one being used as a cannabis factory in Kettering and Corby.

North Northamptonshire Council joined forces with Northamptonshire Police in a week-long inspection of 76 HMOs, four of which are still being investigated.

Councillor Mark Rowley (pictured), executive member for housing, communities and levelling up, says similar crackdowns are planned in the future following the successful week.

He adds: “It is important that authorised officers of the council identify and inspect unregulated HMOs and tackle those landlords that choose to ignore the law, so that these properties can be properly managed moving forward and to ensure the safety of tenants, which is paramount.”

Police attending

Neighbourhood inspector for Corby and Kettering, Paul Cash, of Northamptonshire Police, explains that its partnership with the council is important to support a good quality of life for communities.

“Joining these visits in Kettering and Corby enabled us to support the HMO team, building partnerships while identifying any criminal activity and supporting and safeguarding any vulnerable people,” says Cash.

“At one address in Kettering we also located a cannabis grow which is now being investigated, and I’m sure its removal is a relief to all who will have been affected by it.”

The council is urging any landlord who has yet to register their HMO to apply for a licence as well as asking residents who suspect an unlicensed HMO in their area to email its offices, which can be done anonymously.

Read more about cannabis factories.

View Full Article: Midlands council reveals crackdown on unlicenced HMOs with unusual results

Proportion of tenants over 65 years old set to surge in coming decade

admin    Uncategorized     agents

Landlords are increasingly likely to be renting to older tenants in the coming decade with the proportion of renters in private rented accommodation over 65 years old doubling to 11.5%, it has been reported.

Letting agency Hamptons says its research reveals that, after a decade of steady growth, the number of older renters is poised to increase rapidly with the amount of rent paid by them more than doubling from £5.1 billion a year to £12.75 billion.

This surge can be explained by lower home ownership rates among the tail end of baby boomers (born in the early-to-mid-1960s) and ‘Gen X’, who are those born between 1965 and 1980.

The rising share of older households which rent has been coupled with a much more rapid increase in the number of older households more generally. 

Taken together, it means the number of households renting in England aged 65 and above will double by 2030.  
Today there are around 400,000 older households (over 65s) renting and this figure is set to pass 1,000,000 by 2033.

Boomers

Commenting Aneisha Beveridge (pictured), Head of Research at Hamptons, says: “The rising number of older renters reflects the gradual unwinding of the large increase in homeownership rates after the Second World War. 

“As younger generations who missed out on the homeownership boom age, growing numbers are likely to be renting when they retire.

“The recent rise in mortgage rates will make it harder to buy later in life.  It’s long been the case that if you’re not on the ladder by 40 years old, it becomes more difficult. 

“But higher mortgage rates will make this challenge even tougher given the difficulties in stretching a mortgage term to reduce monthly payments, particularly in the early years.”

View Full Article: Proportion of tenants over 65 years old set to surge in coming decade

Landlord exodus sees homes for rent hit a 14-year low

admin    Uncategorized     agents

As landlords are squeezed by rising mortgage costs and reduced income, the number of homes to rent in the UK has hit a 14-year low, the Financial Times reports.

Using data from consultancy TwentyCi, the newspaper says that the number of properties available for rent has plunged by 35% in two years

View Full Article: Landlord exodus sees homes for rent hit a 14-year low

Influential Labour group says tougher eviction rules needed to tackle poverty

admin    Uncategorized     agents

Landlords should be prevented from serving an eviction notice for at least the first year of a tenancy, in the case of repossession for selling or occupying the property, according to a new report from the Fabian Society.

The independent left-leaning think-tank believes the notice period for evictions should be increased to four months, and a permanent ban on winter evictions introduced.

Relocation payments

Landlords should also have to make a ‘relocation payment’ for tenants forced to move if they want to sell the property, move themselves or close family into the property, or if they want to increase rents above a certain percentage and tenants decide not to pay the new rate.

In its report of the Commission on Poverty and Regional Inequality, the group says these payments should be worth at least two months’ rent.

It explains: “Relocation payments will shift power to tenants, protecting them from landlords seeking to exploit unaffordable rent increases to circumvent security for tenants.”

The Fabian Society wants the government to substantially increase PRS regulation to deliver stronger renter protections and greater security of tenure.

Register

Other suggestions include a national landlords register that covers the PRS (as well as holiday lets and AirBnBs), to include past rent levels. Charges from the register would be returned to local authorities to fund stronger enforcement in the local area.

The government should introduce a locally led scheme to purchase private rented homes from landlords who no longer wish to keep them, and turn them into social rented homes, says the report, as well as roll out a private rented leasing scheme, with funding provided to enable the lease of residential properties from private landlords to local authorities for five years.

Read the report in full.

View Full Article: Influential Labour group says tougher eviction rules needed to tackle poverty

Influential Labour group calls for tougher eviction rules including 16-week notice periods

admin    Uncategorized     agents

Landlords should be prevented from serving an eviction notice for at least the first year of a tenancy, in the case of repossession for selling or occupying the property, according to a new report from the Fabian Society.

The independent left-leaning think-tank believes the notice period for evictions should be increased to four months, and a permanent ban on winter evictions introduced.

Relocation payments

Landlords should also have to make a ‘relocation payment’ for tenants forced to move if they want to sell the property, move themselves or close family into the property, or if they want to increase rents above a certain percentage and tenants decide not to pay the new rate.

In its report of the Commission on Poverty and Regional Inequality, the group says these payments should be worth at least two months’ rent.

It explains: “Relocation payments will shift power to tenants, protecting them from landlords seeking to exploit unaffordable rent increases to circumvent security for tenants.”

The Fabian Society wants the government to substantially increase PRS regulation to deliver stronger renter protections and greater security of tenure.

Register

Other suggestions include a national landlords register that covers the PRS (as well as holiday lets and AirBnBs), to include past rent levels. Charges from the register would be returned to local authorities to fund stronger enforcement in the local area.

The government should introduce a locally led scheme to purchase private rented homes from landlords who no longer wish to keep them, and turn them into social rented homes, says the report, as well as roll out a private rented leasing scheme, with funding provided to enable the lease of residential properties from private landlords to local authorities for five years.

Read the report in full.

View Full Article: Influential Labour group calls for tougher eviction rules including 16-week notice periods

Landlords who demand guarantors on the increase, even for high-earning tenants

admin    Uncategorized     agents

Landlords hit by mortgage rate hikes are demanding guarantors from increasing numbers of high earning tenants.

Many tenants are seeing a greater proportion of their take-home pay go towards rent so are having to provide the additional security of a guarantor when signing new agreements.

It’s a trend which Goodlord expects to continue throughout the rest of 2023, as rental prices are predicted to peak over the summer months.

Goodlord’s analysis of more than 220,000 tenancies reveals a steady increase in requests for renters who earn between £25,000 and £74,999 to provide a guarantor, up from 3.7% in 2020, to an average of 5.8%, an increase of 58%.

Surprisingly

Perhaps more surprisingly, there has also been a big jump in those earning between £50,000 and £74,999 being asked to provide guarantors, despite salaries in this range being far higher than the national average. In 2020, this was true of just 1.3% of earners in this bracket and is now 2.5%, a 92% increase.

Oli Sherlock, director of insurance at Goodlord, says the supply and demand problem means rents are rising at a time when tenants have less disposable income thanks to the cost-of-living crisis.

Obligations

He adds: “This means more tenants are being asked to show they have the support in place to meet their rental obligations, should they need it. As well as a rise in the number of tenants who find themselves needing to provide a guarantor, we’ve also seen a big increase in landlords taking out rental insurance.

“It’s a far from ideal situation for either tenants or landlords. The government should see this as an additional sign that more support for the rental market is urgently needed.”

View Full Article: Landlords who demand guarantors on the increase, even for high-earning tenants

What is a “mixed” partnership?

admin    Uncategorized     agents

In simple terms, a “Mixed Partnership” is a business whose owners comprise both individuals (people) and companies. Sometimes they are marketed as Hybrid structures.

The two commonly found versions of mixed Partnerships are LLP and ordinary mixed Partnerships.

View Full Article: What is a “mixed” partnership?