Oh Mr Rigsby! Creator of world most famous landlord dies aged 88

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The creator of TV’s most famous landlord, the miserly and pompous Rigsby, has died.

Eric Chappell (pictured, below), who penned the classic sitcom Rising Damp, worked for the local electricity board in the East Midlands while trying unsuccessfully to become a published writer before his breakthrough play, The Banana Box, was picked up by Yorkshire Television.

The play was inspired by a newspaper article about a black man who stayed at a hotel for a year without paying after telling them he was a prince.

When it was turned into a sitcom (and later a film), the venue evolved from a hotel to a seedy run-down boarding house and the focus switched to the miserly landlord, originally played by Wilfrid Brambell.

The landlord’s name had to be changed to Rigsby from the original Rooksby after a landlord called Rooksby threatened legal action.

Social attitudes

Chappell’s comedy challenged social attitudes of the time to become one of the great British sitcom classics with Leonard Rossiter as the landlord Rigsby, Don Warrington as Philip Smith, Frances de la Tour as the lusted-after Miss Jones, and Richard Beckinsale as the medical student Alan Moore.

Although Rossiter was notoriously difficult to work with and often dismissive of the scripts, he became a household name as the iconic Rupert Rigsby, in his holey cardigan, fantasising about past military glories and once believing that Miss Jones calling him a philistine was a compliment.

Rising Damp ran for four series in the 1970s, pipping Porridge, The Good Life and Rossiter’s other big hit, The Fall and Rise of Reginald Perrin, to the award for Best Sitcom at the 1978 Baftas.

Grantham-based Chappell went on to write a string of other hits, including Only When I Laugh, The Bounder, Duty Free and Home to Roost.

Pic credit: Youtube

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Landlords quitting sector ‘ is key reason for homelessness, not high rents – claim

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Landlords selling up or re-letting is now the biggest cause of homelessness among renters in England – and not rising rents.

New Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities data reveals that 31,090 households were threatened with homelessness between October and December 2021, up 7.3% on the same quarter the previous year.

This includes 5,260 households who were served a Section 21 notice, an increase of 168% on the same period in 2020 and higher than the 3,830 in October to December 2019 before Covid.

A breakdown of households needing to be rehomed because their AST had ended shows that the biggest increase was due to landlords wanting to sell or re-let the property, which more than doubled (up 146%) compared to the same quarter in 2020 and was up 19% on the same period pre-Covid. The research also found that tenancies were 40 times less likely to be ended because the tenant couldn’t afford the rent.

Timothy Douglas (pictured), head of policy and campaigns at Propertymark, says the statistics provide further evidence that the biggest issue facing the private rented sector is a lack of incentives for landlords to keep their properties in it.

“They also call into question the validity of calls for rent controls as rent increases are clearly not a major cause of homelessness,” he says.

Adds Douglas: “More challenges are coming down the line with the renters’ reform agenda, which looks likely to pave the way for the removal of Section 21.

“The UK government must study these figures very closely and ensure further reform of the sector is balanced and includes policies to maintain existing investment and encourage more.”

©1999 – Present | Parkmatic Publications Ltd. All rights reserved | LandlordZONE® – Landlords quitting sector ‘ is key reason for homelessness, not high rents – claim | LandlordZONE.

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Fair rent detemination?

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I have a tenant who’s been on Housing benefits since April 2005. The council have stated that his claim and the eligible rent used in the calculation is decided with regard to October Deregulated tenancies and any rent increase must be referred to the Rent Officer (HB regulations 2006 regulation 13).

View Full Article: Fair rent detemination?

Ministers to ensure £200 energy bills relief ‘distributed fairly’ to tenants by landlords

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A new government consultation aims to study whether its planned Energy Bills Support Scheme (EBSS) will treat all tenants fairly.

The scheme, announced in February as part of a package of support to help domestic energy customers with the costs of rising energy bills, starts in October and will provide funding so that all energy suppliers can pass a £200 reduction to domestic electricity customers.

This will be recovered through electricity bills over five years starting from 2023. 

Landlords must pass on the reduction to tenants; those with a domestic electricity connection who charge ‘all inclusive’ rent, where energy costs are included, will need to ensure that both the grant payments and the levy are also passed on to tenants.

Those with tenants who share a meter point will need to ensure that both the grant received, and the subsequent levy, is shared fairly between tenants.

The consultation – which closes on 23rd May – will look at whether the government should explore issues relating to tenancy agreements, for example, if a tenant has moved into a property after the rebate has been issued.

Split bills

It will also consider a situation where tenants split and pay utility bills separately but occupy the same property, and when tenants move into another property during the five years of the rebate.

London rental platform Rentd has revealed that opting for a rental property that includes bills costs the average tenant an extra £700 a year.

It found that the cost of renting a property without bills costs an average of £1,724 per month while those that include them average £2,023 per month – 17% more. 

Just 8% of all London rental homes currently listed on the market offer bills included within the top-line cost of renting. 

©1999 – Present | Parkmatic Publications Ltd. All rights reserved | LandlordZONE® – Ministers to ensure £200 energy bills relief ‘distributed fairly’ to tenants by landlords | LandlordZONE.

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TOMORROW, are you joining the Virtual Property Exhibition?

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This is a very quick reminder about the Virtual Property Exhibition on Friday 29th April, 9.15am to 5.00pm and there is no cost to participate.

This is a once a year opportunity to update your knowledge and learn from 10 of the top UK property educators and commentators about what is happening in the UK property market right now

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‘BAN rent rises and evictions until cost of living crisis ends’, says Generation Rent

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Rent rises should be banned and Section 21 and Section 8 evictions suspended until the cost of living crisis subsides, says tenants’ advocacy group Generation Rent.

The organisation also wants to see landlords banned from requesting six or 12 months’ rent up-front – a tactic, it clams, that is used by some landlords to prevent those on benefits from renting their homes without explicitly saying so.

Generation Rent has used a raft of different data sources to back up its calls for government action including ONS stats that show 59% of renters were finding it difficult to pay energy bills last month and that nearly half were spending less on essentials such as food.

It also claims that a third of tenants recently reported to the ONS that their rent had increased over the past six months.

Other demands made by Generation Rent include unfreezing the Local Housing Allowance, restoring Discretionary Housing Payment funding to 2020-21 levels, reinstating the £20 per week Universal Credit uplift and proving funds to clear tenants’ rent arrears on top of the £65 million provided last year.

Join the conversation in the LandlordZONE Forum about rent controls.

Higher rent

“Although interest rates are rising, homeowners are able to minimise costs by remortgaging. Renters don’t have the same option: if your landlord thinks they can get a higher rent from a new tenant, there’s not much you can do. If you try to negotiate, your landlord can simply serve a Section 21 no-fault eviction notice,” says Alicia Kennedy, Director of Generation Rent.

“With renters so vulnerable to rent hikes and incomes stagnant, this causes impossible choices between paying rent and putting food on the table.

“Without a suspension of evictions and a rent freeze, the cost of living crisis will lead to spiralling rent arrears and homelessness for thousands of families.”

Read more about Section 21 evictions.

©1999 – Present | Parkmatic Publications Ltd. All rights reserved | LandlordZONE® – ‘BAN rent rises and evictions until cost of living crisis ends’, says Generation Rent | LandlordZONE.

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LATEST: Govt to launch probe into problems being caused by short-lets boom

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The Government is to investigate the short term lettings sector and the problems platforms like Airbnb are causing within the wider property market and economy, it has been announced.

Issues to be examined include damage to housing supply, avoidance of health and safety regulations and anti-social behaviour by holidaymakers.

“The call for evidence will be followed by a consultation, which will enable the Government to put forward proportionate policy options based on a firm evidence base,” said housing minister Eddie Hughes (pictured).

The consultation and call for evidence is to be launched by the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS), he added, in response to a question from shadow minister Rachel Maskell.

She is worried that landlords of traditional lets are using Section 21 eviction notices to eject long-standing tenants in some areas in favour of more profitable student tenants and holiday lets.
Landlord may remember that only a few years ago the Government was largely indifferent to regulation of the short-lets sector.

Ministerial action

But a growing campaign in England to highlight the problems it is creating within holiday hotspots within the Lake District and SW coastal towns and villages, and action by the Scottish government to prevent its capital from becoming a short-let hotspot, have prompted Ministers into action.

The allure of short-lets to some landlords are very tempting – annual rental revenues can be double or even triple those of long-term lets, while the laws governing this sector are non-existent or very light and taxation lower.
Also, outside London there are no – or lighter – restrictions on the number of days a property can be let out on a short-term basis before planning permission must be sought.

Read more: the ultimate guide to short-let insurance.

Last year Airbnb tried to bat off criticism that it is encouraging more and more homeowners and landlords to rent out their properties on a short-term basis with a White Paper.

This was written following consultations with local authorities, policymakers and businesses, and its key message was that a national registration for short-let properties should be introduced – something the new DCMS initiative, which has yet to be officially launched, will take on board.

Last week Airbnb caused a stir by saying it may ask property owners using its platform to reveal if they have used Section 21 eviction to clear sitting tenants from their property in order to cash-in on the growing sector.

©1999 – Present | Parkmatic Publications Ltd. All rights reserved | LandlordZONE® – LATEST: Govt to launch probe into problems being caused by short-lets boom | LandlordZONE.

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Changes to the PRS in Wales – How it could apply to England?

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The new Renting Homes (Wales) Act has been published. I am wondering what people feel about the changes to Section 21 and if they feel that would be a compromise if it were implemented in England? >> https://gov.wales/housing-law-changing-renting-homes

I have copied a small part of it below:

Renting Homes (Wales) Act – Changes to evictions and notice periods
Ending a tenancy is also changing.

View Full Article: Changes to the PRS in Wales – How it could apply to England?

Council denies keeping landlords in the dark as huge licensing scheme launches

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Durham Council waited three weeks after launching its selective licensing scheme to share the news on its website – potentially leaving some landlords in the dark.

Despite announcing it had won approval back in December for a launch on 1^st April, the council’s website went quiet on the subject until 21^st April.

The NRLA and other landlord groups have often criticised selective licensing schemes for their poor communication; Southend landlords were recently frustrated by their council’s failure to update them about registration delays.

Lynn Hall, Durham County Council’s strategic manager for housing, tells LandlordZONE it had previously told landlords the application process would open in early February.

She adds: “At the same time, we contacted all landlords and agents that we had email and postal addresses for and issued public notices in local and regional newspapers.

“We also shared information with local councillors, parish councils, MPs and relevant housing advice centres and agencies to ensure details of the scheme were shared as widely as possible.”

Encourage landlords

It plans to further promote the scheme over the coming months to encourage landlords to apply before compliance checks begin; they will need to fork out £500 per property for the five-year scheme, with a £60 early-bird discount available until the end of July.

At least 29,000 properties, 42% of the county’s PRS, are covered by the scheme. Durham County Council had originally approved a plan that covered 65% of the county and included 51,000 private rented properties, however following a consultation it submitted a smaller application.

Councillor James Rowlandson (pictured) cabinet member for resources, investments and assets, says the scheme is a key objective of County Durham’s housing strategy and will raise the standards of private rented properties, improve the health and wellbeing of tenants and cut anti-social behaviour.

©1999 – Present | Parkmatic Publications Ltd. All rights reserved | LandlordZONE® – Council denies keeping landlords in the dark as huge licensing scheme launches | LandlordZONE.

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BREAKING: Number of landlords chasing tenants for rental debts jumps by 180%

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The number of landlords seeking to recover debts owed to them by former tenants has risen nearly two-fold, latest figures from leading evictions specialist Landlord Action reveals.

It says that over the past 12 months the number of landlords seeking to recover money owed by former tenants has jumped by 180% year-on-year.

This is because in the past many landlords worn down by protracted eviction battles have written off debts rather than chasing tenants for repayment.

But an increasing number of renters have been using the pandemic evictions ban to wilfully dodge paying rent, rather than because they are in financial difficulties it is claimed.

And because of the 14-month PRS eviction ban during Covid, these rent arrears are now eye-watering sums, which many landlords involved cannot afford to lose.

Paul Shamplina (main picture), founder of Landlord Action and commercial officer at Hamilton Fraser, says: “We have hundreds of live debt recovery cases, ranging from a few thousand pounds right up to one where the arrears have reached £200,000.

“Admittedly, this is an extremely rare case, but what many of our cases have in common is that the tenants had the means to pay. For example, one case is against a practising doctor who owes £42,000.”

Case study: Philip Robinson

Philip had tenants who stopped paying rent in October 2019, four months prior to the national lockdown.

They remained in situ throughout the pandemic but would not communicate with him or the letting agent. 

They finally left without surrendering the keys or informing him that they had vacated. Having caused significant damage, Philip decided to pursue the tenants’ arrears through Landlord Action’s debt recovery service. In October 2021, the team recovered £14,950.

Philip Robinson says: “I have always been very fair and taken my tenants’ personal circumstances into account, but this tenant ran a company which had £250,000 in the bank.

“They abused the restrictions put in place by the Government which were designed to help those in need.

“The tenants purchased a property, renovated it and managed to pay the mortgage, all whilst living in my property for free.

“If more tenants like this knew there would be repercussions, such as a County Court Judgement, I believe they would cooperate much earlier in the proceedings.”

How do debts get paid?

Once a judge has granted possession, they will then look at the arrears schedule to see what the landlord is owed.

As part of the judgement, the judge will order that the tenant pay the arrears owed which will include costs incurred by the landlord for bringing the claim and interest in an amount the court sees fit.

The tenant will then be issued with a County Court Judgement (CCJ).  If, however, the tenant does not pay the money that is owed, the landlord can then move to enforcement by instructing a debt recovery company, like Landlord Action. 

The Money Judgment is not registered as a CCJ on the Register of CCJ’s Court Orders and Fines until the landlord attempts to enforce the judgement.

Shamplina adds: “If there are substantial arrears and the tenant is employed with a steady level of income, therefore has the means to pay, but has simply stopped paying, it is worth pursuing the money that is legally and rightfully owed to the landlord.

©1999 – Present | Parkmatic Publications Ltd. All rights reserved | LandlordZONE® – BREAKING: Number of landlords chasing tenants for rental debts jumps by 180% | LandlordZONE.

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