Are our MPs the worst hypocrites or are they just clueless?

admin    Uncategorized     agents

As landlords, we face the bizarre situation of being taxed on our overall turnover and not on the profits that we make – unlike any other business in the country.

Making a profit isn’t necessarily a bad thing because we provide a home and have expenses that need to be met when doing so.

View Full Article: Are our MPs the worst hypocrites or are they just clueless?

OPINION: It’s time Facebook took action to stop rent scams on Marketplace

admin    Uncategorized     agents

Facebook is facing mounting calls to more effectively police its Marketplace classified listings platform after numerous investigations by national media outlets.

The most recent was last night (23rd February) when ITV News highlighted the growing number of tenants being ripped off by ‘fake landlord’ prepayment rent and deposit scams.

These come in various forms but essentially criminals steal pictures and videos from portals such as Rightmove or estate agent websites and use them to advertise real properties to rent which do not belong to them.

After taking advance payment for deposits and rent often totalling thousands of pounds, the renters turn up to their properties to collect their keys and begin their tenancies only to discover it’s all a fraud.

The scams involve two key strategies – advertising properties to rent under market value, tapping into many tenants’ desperate need for affordable properties; and taking advantage of people who need to move home quickly.

This includes students, people escaping abusive relationships, foreigners starting new jobs in the UK – the list goes on.

Both strategies mean tenants tend not to question why they can’t see the property before moving in, and the more sophisticated scammers rent Airbnb properties to enable ‘viewings’ to take place, too.

Rip Off Britain

Last night’s ITV investigation follows a BBC Radio 4 You and Yours probe the week before, and a BBC Rip Off Britain piece in May last year and a further investigation by the broadcaster the year before.

Such criticism appear to fall on deaf ears at Facebook, which usually says it will investigate individual properties that appear to be fake listings, but has yet to significantly tighten up its Marketplace security to prevent such scams.

LandlordZONE has contacted Facebook requesting comment on its approach to scammers but so far, the company has not responded.

I should point out Facebook is not the only platform to host scammers – we have written regularly about other scams on Gumtree and Google.

Bad name

But the wider point here is that all this dodgy activity gives the private rented sector a bad name and reinforces the view of many that vulnerable tenants are open to scam activity on multiple levels including rent-to-rent tenancies, rogue agents and so on.

It is time that landlords and agents, whose property pictures are used by criminals to lure in victims, urge the Government and companies like Facebook to do something about this before a growing scam scandal becomes a tragedy.

It is particularly shameful that Facebook appears reluctant to tackle the problem and put its vast profits – £20 billion last year – at risk.

Nigel Lewis is editor of LandlordZONE.

 

View Full Article: OPINION: It’s time Facebook took action to stop rent scams on Marketplace

Call for a rent freeze because ‘landlords can afford it’

admin    Uncategorized     agents

An open letter has been signed by rent activists, trade unions and several Labour Mayors, including Sadiq Khan, calling for the housing minister Michael Gove to implement a private rent freeze and an eviction ban in England to help tenants in the ‘current rental crisis’.

View Full Article: Call for a rent freeze because ‘landlords can afford it’

EXCLUSIVE: ‘End of an era’ for Shamplina as he steps back from popular TV show

admin    Uncategorized     agents

Evictions expert Paul Shamplina has revealed that he’s stepping back from his long-running role in TV series Nightmare Tenants, Slum Landlords.

Shamplina, who as well as heading up Landlord Action is Chief Commercial Officer at parent company Hamilton Fraser, says it’s time to move on after filming some 70 episodes since 2015 for the programme’s six series.

“Also, even if Channel 5 were to commission another series of the show then – although the programme has been interesting and exciting to be a part of – I won’t be appearing on it or any other evictions programmes going forward,” he adds.

“Everyone needs to be sensitive at the moment about tenants, who have taken a battering in recent months as the shortage of stock creates ever-rising rents although of course landlords are facing difficulties too.”

International reach

Many will be sorry to see Shamplina exit the show. As well as a keen fanbase in the UK including some 1.5 million viewers of some episodes, it has been seen in Europe, New Zealand and Australia and been on Netflix in the USA.

“Sometimes it’s tough – I’ve been spat at by one disgruntled tenant – but it can also be amazing, and I helped one viewer propose to his girlfriend after he contacted me and asked for help,” he says.

Carlton TV

Shamplina’s TV talents were discovered after he helped out on a one-off programme about evictions for Carlton TV during the early noughties, later also appearing on other specials for other broadcasters such as ‘War at the Door’, ‘Tenants from Hell’ and several BBC Inside Out investigations.

“What people forget is that all the cases on Nightmare Tenants, Slum Landlords were real even though they were at the extreme end of tenant and landlord experiences within the private rented sector (PRS), so often landlords in particularly were very brave to get involved.”

Although it’s the “end of an era” for Shamplina, his evictions business has never been busier and his team handles thousands of cases every year.  

Evictions

“Last year was the busiest, with 2023 expected to be even more so, given the cost of living crisis and a big rise in landlords exiting the industry,” he says.

“I’m also going to have a full diary this year because the sector will soon see significant changes when the Government’s PRS reforms go live which will adversely affect both landlords and letting agents,” he says.

“I’ll be at the centre of efforts to educate and support them about those changes through my public speaking and regular appearances on Ian Collins’ Talk Radio show.”

Shamplina says he will continue to appear in other TV and radio programmes as a PRS and buy-to-let expert and says he’s keen to do some presenting work too and has some ‘irons in the fire’ on that front. Watch this space.

Read more about Nightmare Tenants, Slum Landlords.

View Full Article: EXCLUSIVE: ‘End of an era’ for Shamplina as he steps back from popular TV show

Stamp duty refund on property abroad?

admin    Uncategorized     agents

Hi, My husband is Australian and owns a house in Australia. He hasn’t lived in it for over 15 years while living in Europe and his mother was living in it. He is going to try and sell it.

In the meantime

View Full Article: Stamp duty refund on property abroad?

Landlord wins reprieve from huge RRO claiming ‘technical issues’ at council website

admin    Uncategorized     agents

A disgruntled landlord has convinced a judge to have his rent repayment order case re-heard after arguing that council systems hindered his ability to apply for an HMO licence during the pandemic.

Paul Fashade was told to pay three tenants a total of £11,230 by a First Tier Property Tribunal (FTT) which ruled he had no excuse for renting out an unlicensed HMO in Devonshire Road, Lewisham, between August 2020 and January 2022.

Fashade argued that the original ruling was unfair because he couldn’t renew his expired licence due to technical issues with Lewisham Council’s online systems.

He claimed that emails and phone calls from both him and his managing agent had gone unanswered, and believed receiving automated responses meant that they would eventually contact him.

Efforts

At an Upper Tribunal, the judge said the FTT had taken no account of Fashade’s or the managing agent’s efforts because he was unable to provide copies of his emails, and then awarded the maximum amount possible.

In relation to the RRO amounts, the judge said: “The FTT might have considered that a landlord who made repeated but unsuccessful attempts to obtain a licence, both by his own efforts and by instructing his agent, was less culpable than a landlord who ignored his obligations and wilfully failed to obtain a licence.”

The judge recommended that the RRO awarded to two of his tenants should be reduced because the licence application had already been made before the end of their tenancy. He remitted a decision on the RROs to another property tribunal.

Tough defence

JMW property lawyer David Smith says: “You have to show you’ve tried to apply again and again throughout the whole period, by every means possible, using every portal and by filling in forms, and to keep documenting that.

“The offence is operating without a licence – it’s up to you to prove you have a reasonable excuse and it’s a tough defence.”

Read more stories about RROs.

View Full Article: Landlord wins reprieve from huge RRO claiming ‘technical issues’ at council website

Has the “fairer private rented sector” really been fair to landlords?

admin    Uncategorized     agents

The Government boasted a “fairer private rented sector” but has it really been fair to landlords? For many landlords, it’s hard not to panic. With the overhaul of the rental rules this year, indefinite tenancies plus not to mention the end of section 21 evictions

View Full Article: Has the “fairer private rented sector” really been fair to landlords?

NEW: Unions and campaigners call on Michael Gove to ‘freeze’ rents

admin    Uncategorized     agents

Council leaders, unions and renters’ groups have urged Housing Secretary Michael Gove to bring in an immediate rent freeze in a bid to prevent widespread homelessness.

In an open letter, the 34 groups and individuals – including London Renters Union, mayor of London Sadiq Khan, RMT general secretary Mick Lynch, and Generation Rent – also called on him to implement a ban on evictions until the cost-of-living crisis is over and to fast track the much-delayed Renters Reform Bill, ending Section 21 evictions.

This would bring England in line with Scotland, which imposed a rent freeze and eviction ban last October.

They claim that landlords, with the encouragement of letting agents, are using the crisis as an opportunity to introduce rent hikes.

Struggling

The letter says: “Some landlords will be struggling with increased mortgage costs, but many will not. Just under half of rental properties have a mortgage and most of those have ‘interest only’ mortgages.

“The vast majority of landlords have far greater financial resilience to weather the storm ahead, with the median annual income of landlords before their income from rent is taken into account at £55,415.”

London Renters Union is asking renters to ramp up the pressure by writing a letter to their MP backing the call as part of its #rentfreezenow campaign.

Sadiq Khan and council leaders in Bristol have been calling on Westminster to grant them powers to set rent controls in their own areas.

However, this is unlikely as only last week, housing minister Felicity Buchan told the Commons: “The government do not support the introduction of rent controls in the private rental sector.”

She said controls would “discourage investment, lead to declining property standards and may encourage illegal subletting”.

View Full Article: NEW: Unions and campaigners call on Michael Gove to ‘freeze’ rents

Auditor says Selective Licensing DOES push up rents and cause homelessness

admin    Uncategorized     agents

A council’s Selective Licensing scheme has been slammed by an external auditor – just as the council unveils a consultation process to start a new scheme in August – with critics saying the scheme has led to tenants being made homeless but the council says it doesn’t have data on the issue.

View Full Article: Auditor says Selective Licensing DOES push up rents and cause homelessness

Service charge demands but no explanations?

admin    Uncategorized     agents

Hello, I hope someone can give an opinion. A long story short.

We own 2 leasehold apartments within a 56 block.

Up until now the managing agent serves service charge (SC) demands and we just pay them.

View Full Article: Service charge demands but no explanations?