EXCLUSIVE: ‘Kick in the teeth’ for landlords as No.10 stalls on waiving eviction renewal fees

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Bailiff evictions are facing delays and extra expense as thousands of already sanctioned warrants tick over the 12 months mark following the multiple ‘ban extensions’ announced by the government since the pandemic started.

This is because bailiff warrants granted to evict tenants a year ago will now have to be reissued.

This will require bailiffs to fill in the paperwork again (an N325 Warrant Possession Request form and an EX97A Bailiff Risk Assessment form) and also pay a fee of £121, adding more time and expense to rentals arrears and other types of eviction exempted from the ban.

One message to a bailiff from the Department of Justice recently suggests civil servants are aware of the frustrations this additional red tape will cause.

“As the expiry of the warrants is not the fault of yourselves, we are producing a submission to ministers to ask that they use the Lord Chancellors exceptional powers to exempt the fee and it may be possible to get a refund depending on the answer from number 10,” it says.

“We are very sorry for the inconvenience this will cause.”

So far, LandlordZONE is not aware of any decision being made by the Cabinet Office at Downing Street.

Tim Frome (pictured), legal director at eviction specialist Landlord Action, says: “For landlords who expected to gain possession of their property over a year ago it is another kick in the teeth to be told they have to pay a further court fee to re-engage the bailiff.

“We are having to break the bad news to landlords on cases where the bailiff warrant is over 12 months old.

“An application can be made to extend a soon to expire warrant but that requires time to draft and also incurs court fees so the landlord is no better off.

“This is another example of unintended consequences of the current court processes impacting landlords.”

This problem does not affect evictions that have been passed on to High Court enforcement companies like those featured in Channel 5 programme Can’t Pay? We’ll Take It Away! (pictured).

More information from Landlord Action.

Picture credit: DBLG Ltd/Channel 5

©1999 – Present | Parkmatic Publications Ltd. All rights reserved | LandlordZONE® – EXCLUSIVE: ‘Kick in the teeth’ for landlords as No.10 stalls on waiving eviction renewal fees | LandlordZONE.

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HMO – single private dwellinghouse covenant refusal?

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I’m selling a house set up as an HMO, that hasn’t been rented out to anyone. It has a ‘single private dwelling house’ restrictive covenant. We are/were ready to exchange & complete.

The buyer has had the HMO licence guaranteed by the council 14 days post-completion

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SPOTLIGHT: Church of England gives its blessing to tougher landlord regulation

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The Church of England has said that parish churches should get more involved in local housing issues across England and has given landlord licensing its blessing.

Its Commission on Housing, Church and Community argues that as a significant landowner, it has to lead by example, particularly after listening to parish clergy who are reporting that pastoral problems are often linked to housing.

It highlights one Ealing parish that’s leading the way by backing the local council’s efforts to introduce selective licensing in the borough.

St Barnabas’s and Christ the Saviour churches started a campaign about affordable housing and lobbied candidates at the local elections, with a demand that Ealing should extend selective landlord licensing across the whole borough.

All of them agreed to back the idea, although the council has yet to implement this.

The Church of England is also on a mission to bring private landlords to task as part of its proposals to address the housing crisis, and recently created a ‘rental market bishop’.

Its new Coming Home report calls on the government to provide greater protection for private sector tenants through longer-term security of tenure and by placing a duty of care on all landlords.

Thorough review

It wants a thorough review of tenancy agreements in the private rented sector and for the removal of Section 21 evictions.

The report says: “We urge the government to deliver on its manifesto commitment and to ensure predictable rents and long-term security of tenure, with a clear, limited set of exceptions.”

It adds: “Landlords, particularly in the social rented sector, should ensure that the voices of tenants are heard, considered and acted on in designing services for tenants.”

The commission also urges ministers to review the social security system and its failure to provide adequate housing support for low-income household. It recommends the restoration of Local Housing Allowances to median rents in each local area.

Read more about the report.

PIC credit: www.churchofengland.org

©1999 – Present | Parkmatic Publications Ltd. All rights reserved | LandlordZONE® – SPOTLIGHT: Church of England gives its blessing to tougher landlord regulation | LandlordZONE.

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Cladding service launches to help landlords win Building Safety Fund applications

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A cladding remediation service has been set up to help leaseholders and landlords struggling to navigate the Building Safety Fund application process.

Cladding Consulting promises to be hands-on during the entire funding journey, through to completion of the cladding remediation work.

It will arrange a survey, organise an EWS1 review by a chartered fire engineer, submit the application and manage the process until funds are granted, remaining involved until the project’s completion.

The government set up the £4.5m fund to pay for the removal of non-ACM cladding from high-rise buildings, 18m or above.

Latest figures show that there are 1,014 applicants who have registered interest but have not progressed their claim.

Process maze

MD Steven Truman (pictured) says it’s very easy to get lost in the process maze. “We immediately recognised the huge challenges leaseholders and managers were going to face trying to complete BSF applications, which are extremely complicated and time consuming, while juggling their everyday duties,” he explains.

“With many leaseholders already at the end of their tether, worried that they could be financially ruined by the cladding fiasco, the added stress of applying for funds is the last thing they need.”

The new cladding remediation service is for those who have already started the application process, but need help to complete it, as well as those who have registered interest in accessing the fund before the 31st July deadline.

Fees

Cladding Consulting charges an initial flat fee payable after the application has been accepted while a second fee – a percentage of the net construction cost – is due once funding is received; this is only payable if remediation is successful and then only the fee included in the remediation package is payable.

All fees are charged to the building, not to individual leaseholders. 

©1999 – Present | Parkmatic Publications Ltd. All rights reserved | LandlordZONE® – Cladding service launches to help landlords win Building Safety Fund applications | LandlordZONE.

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BREAKING: House prices surge unexpectedly to record high

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House prices surged by 0.7% in February, taking economists by surprise and reversing the 0.2% decline recorded the previous month.

The Nationwide’s house price index shows the annual rate of house price growth rebounded to 6.9% from 6.4% in January, raising the average price to £231,061 – the highest on record.

Robert Gardner, Nationwide’s chief economist (pictured, below), admits the increase was unexpected.

“It seemed more likely that annual price growth would soften further ahead of the end of the stamp duty holiday, which prompted many people considering a house move to bring forward their purchase,” he says.

The lender had expected activity and price growth to weaken, given that the purchase process typically takes several months.

Tax holiday

But it believes the tax holiday could still provide some momentum, particularly as there’s currently fewer properties on the market. Shifts in housing preferences could also boost demand, despite the uncertain economic outlook, says Gardner.

“Many peoples’ housing needs have changed as a direct result of the pandemic, with many opting to move to less densely populated locations or property types, despite the sharp economic slowdown and the uncertain outlook.”

He adds: “As a result, the outlook for the housing market is unusually uncertain. There is scope for shifting housing preferences to continue to boost activity, especially if there is further policy support in the budget.

“Nevertheless, if labour market conditions weaken as most analysts expect, it is likely that the housing market will slow in the months ahead.”

Chancellor Rishi Sunak is widely expected to extend the stamp duty holiday to the end of June in tomorrow’s announcement.

©1999 – Present | Parkmatic Publications Ltd. All rights reserved | LandlordZONE® – BREAKING: House prices surge unexpectedly to record high | LandlordZONE.

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Update on Pilar – Squatting and private property rights undermined in Spain

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Some of you may remember the letter I published, written by Spanish property-owner, Pilar Damian, who had her home squatted. Well, I can now update you on what happened next.

Pilar used eviction specialists, led by Dani Esteve and got possession of her property about a month ago.

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Council takes responsibility? Guess again!

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In January 2021, Reigate and Banstead Council declared a property to be a House in Multiple Occupation and served a Section 255 Notice under The Housing Act 2004, against one property. The Council correctly advised the Landlord that any appeal against the HMO Declaration must be made through an application to the First-tier Tribunal and not directly to the Council.

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BREAKING: ‘Half of tenants would take out pet insurance against damage, says expert

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Half of all tenants who want to rent a home with their pet would be prepared to take out specialist insurance to cover their landlord against damage, a leading campaigner has revealed.

Jennifer Berezai of AdvoCATS has researched an in-depth report into whether there is an appetite among financial firms and tenants to embrace insurance as the ‘silver bullet’ to settle the pet debate within the sector once and for all.

Quoting a YouGov polled completed just a few weeks ago, Berezai says 53% of pet owners, including 57% among dog owners and 55% among cat owners respectively, indicated that they would be willing to pay for specialised pet insurance, if priced reasonably to them and required by a landlord.

Berezai says there are four insurers currently offering products but they are either poorly marketed or limited in scope and therefore unpopular with tenants.

These include Endsleigh, the Alan Boswell Group, Just Landlords and My Urban Jungle. 

A fifth insruance provider, Hamilton Fraser, is also considering a move into this market once its insurance partners have been consulted.

“As a specialist insurance broker we recognise that landlords may need added protection in the event of damage caused by pets whether this be by additional insurance cover or legislation being amended to allow pet deposits,” says spokesperson Terri Dune.

Commenting on MP Andrew Rosindell’s attempts to get a bill through parliament that would establish a tenant’s right to have a pet, Berezai (pictured below) says: “The absolute cornerstone of the bill is responsible pet ownership, so as you would a car or a business, taking out appropriate insurance against pet damage to a property you don’t own can only help underline responsibility.

“Enshrining the right for a landlord to request that such a policy is held in order to allow pets in their property in law – by amending the Tenant Fees Act to make this a Permitted Payment – will go a very long way to achieving the ultimate goal of #APetInEveryHome.”
 

©1999 – Present | Parkmatic Publications Ltd. All rights reserved | LandlordZONE® – BREAKING: ‘Half of tenants would take out pet insurance against damage, says expert | LandlordZONE.

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BREAKING: ‘Half of tenants would take out pet insurance against damage’, says expert

admin    Uncategorized     agents

Half of all tenants who want to rent a home with their pet would be prepared to take out specialist insurance to cover their landlord against damage, a leading campaigner has revealed.

Jennifer Berezai of AdvoCATS has researched an in-depth report into whether there is an appetite among financial firms and tenants to embrace insurance as the ‘silver bullet’ to settle the pet debate within the sector once and for all.

Quoting a YouGov polled completed just a few weeks ago, Berezai says 53% of pet owners, including 57% among dog owners and 55% among cat owners respectively, indicated that they would be willing to pay for specialised pet insurance, if priced reasonably to them and required by a landlord.

Berezai says there are several insurers currently interested in this kind of product but whose policies are either lightly marketed, limited in scope or in the case of Just Landlords, yet to be launched.

These include Endsleigh, the Alan Boswell Group, Just Landlords, One Broker and My Urban Jungle. 

One other insurance provider, Hamilton Fraser, is also considering a move into this market once its insurance partners have been consulted.

“As a specialist insurance broker we recognise that landlords may need added protection in the event of damage caused by pets whether this be by additional insurance cover or legislation being amended to allow pet deposits,” says spokesperson Terri Dune.

Commenting on MP Andrew Rosindell’s attempts to get a bill through parliament that would establish a tenant’s right to have a pet, Berezai (pictured below) says: “The absolute cornerstone of the bill is responsible pet ownership, so as you would a car or a business, taking out appropriate insurance against pet damage to a property you don’t own can only help underline responsibility.

“Enshrining the right for a landlord to request that such a policy is held in order to allow pets in their property in law – by amending the Tenant Fees Act to make this a Permitted Payment – will go a very long way to achieving the ultimate goal of #APetInEveryHome.”
 

©1999 – Present | Parkmatic Publications Ltd. All rights reserved | LandlordZONE® – BREAKING: ‘Half of tenants would take out pet insurance against damage’, says expert | LandlordZONE.

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BTL for Limited companies in Northern Ireland

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Finding a mortgage lender who lends to Limited Companies for properties in Northern Ireland has always been a tricky one.  With the limited amount of advertising lenders do for each of their lending criteria, it means that advisers/brokers need to be on the ball and find solutions for their clients even if it’s a simple case.

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