Don’t miss out! Industry group asks for your comments on new mandatory agent Code of Conduct

admin    Uncategorized     agents

Landlords have a once-in-lifetime opportunity to help shape the future of the private rental sector following the launch of a consultation today on the looming Code of Practice for agents.

This code will soon govern how agents encourage and respect diversity; treat consumers fairly; undertake training and development, deal with conflicts of interests, handle complaints and protect both client money and data. 

It also sets standards for transparency of communication and reporting property safety issues.

The steering group running the government-backed initiative has published the first draft of the code, which sets out the behaviours that landlords should expect of their letting agents when the code goes live.

Agents will soon have to apply for a ‘licence to operate’ which could be revoked if they are found to have ignored the code.

This will immediately chase the rogue letting agent element of the sector out of the industry and require the rest to adhere to higher levels of customer service and probity.

The Code will apply to agents across the UK and is the result of Lord Best’s Regulation of Property Agents (RoPA) report published last year.

The steering group’s chair, Baroness Hayter, says: “The new code of practice will look to set standards at a higher level than currently legally set. The ambition of the code is that it will become a requirement for obtaining a licence to practice in the future, which will increase trust across the sector.

“Input from consumers, stakeholders, interest groups and the industry is paramount to ensuring that the Code of Practice is balanced, fit for purpose and meets the requirements of a future Regulator.”

Watch this space for details of how to input into the consultation.

Read the code in full

©1999 – Present | Parkmatic Publications Ltd. All rights reserved | LandlordZONE® – Don’t miss out! Industry group asks for your comments on new mandatory agent Code of Conduct | LandlordZONE.

View Full Article: Don’t miss out! Industry group asks for your comments on new mandatory agent Code of Conduct

WARNING! CGT Going UP? – Property Investors Need To Act Now

admin    Uncategorized     agents

The Chancellor of the Exchequer, Rishi Sunak has announced a review of Capital Gains Tax.

In this video I discuss with Alex Caravello, Property118 Tax Consultant and Mark Smith, Cotswold Barristers, what implications this will have on property investors and landlords and what action landlords can take now before any changes take effect.

The post WARNING! CGT Going UP? – Property Investors Need To Act Now appeared first on Property118.

View Full Article: WARNING! CGT Going UP? – Property Investors Need To Act Now

BREAKING: Tenants to be given 60 days before rent arrears and other debt can be collected

admin    Uncategorized     agents

A new ‘breathing space’ scheme to give people in debt time to get proper professional advice and reduce the stress caused by impending legal action is set to go live next year following a consultation.

The Debt Respite Scheme regulations – which cover most debt including rent arrears – aim to give them a better chance to stabilise their finances during a 60-day moratorium on interest, charges and enforcement action while they seek help. It will take effect from 4th May 2021.

They could then enter a statutory agreement to repay their debts to a manageable timetable and would get legal protection from creditor action during this time.

Citizens Advice agrees that it’s an enlightened approach to debt management and will no doubt help many people struggling to make ends meet. But it adds that many tenants will need help with their finances long before the scheme is up and running next Spring.

The Government says that those who need debt advice often don’t seek it, and those who do get advice often don’t get the best experience because they leave it too late when their situation is at crisis point.

Debtors receiving mental health crisis treatment will also be able to enter a mental health crisis moratorium without engaging with this debt advice.

Protection will apply for the duration of their treatment and then for a further 30 days. If eligible, debtors can then access the 60-day moratorium.

Debt charity StepChange welcomes the move which it says demonstrates an increasingly enlightened approach to the treatment of people experiencing debt problems. Head of policy Peter Tutton says:

“We look forward to working on the detail of implementation constructively with the Government, to ensure that it fully meets the policy objectives of getting more people to the debt advice that they need, and then giving them a period of calm in which to begin the process of reaching a suitable solution to their problems without fear, harassment, intimidation or escalating cost.”

©1999 – Present | Parkmatic Publications Ltd. All rights reserved | LandlordZONE® – BREAKING: Tenants to be given 60 days before rent arrears and other debt can be collected | LandlordZONE.

View Full Article: BREAKING: Tenants to be given 60 days before rent arrears and other debt can be collected

LATEST: More details on Chancellor’s £5,000 green grants for landlords due ‘next week’

admin    Uncategorized     agents

Further details of Chancellor Rishi Sunak’s £2 billion Green Homes Grant scheme are expected to be released next week, LandlordZONE has been told.

David Pierpoint, whose organisation The Retrofit Academy is due to be at the forefront of efforts to implement the scheme and bring all the stakeholders together, says civil servants have been in touch with the industry for several months as the scheme has developed, and that a ‘wider picture’ is imminent.

“No one really knows what the scheme will really look like yet and it will take longer to get the full details as they’re still working on them, but the basics of how the installation and supplier scheme will work – for example – are likely to be made public next week,” he says. Other details include how the vouchers will work, and which companies will be approved to do the work.

The Green Homes Grant scheme is expected to be an unprecedented bonanza of environmentally-friendly funding for landlords, but there are several obstacles.

One is that the window of opportunity is small – landlords can apply for the vouchers to fund retrofit green refurbishment work from September onwards, but the scheme will only run until March next year.

The other is that green retrofit industry has just three-and-half months to get ready.

“The industry already has an annual turnover of £1 billion, but from September onwards it’s going to have £2 billion of work added to it almost overnight,” says Pierpoint.

How will the Green Homes Grant work?

Landlords in England will be able to claim up to two thirds of a property’s green refurbishment cost with a ceiling of £5,000 per rented home.

This will include loft, wall and floor insulation as well as, it is rumoured, new boilers, with no limit on how many properties a landlord can refurbish.

As advertised, the scheme is a significant improvement on the previous and largely failed Green Deal, which required landlords to take out high-interest loans, and was eventually closed down.

Now, to claim the full £5,000 allocation of free vouchers from the new scheme, a landlord will have to have a budget of £7,500 per property, of which two-thirds will come from the government.

Alex Hunt of Sussex-based specialist building firm Bright Green Homes, says he is worried how the scheme will be implemented.

“There is a danger you’ll get plumbers recommending that a new boiler is put in, but often it’s the insulation that needs sorting first – there’s no point having a super-efficient heating system pumping out warmth when it immediately disappears through the walls and windows,” he says.

“It’s vital that the scheme takes a holistic look at each property and works out which work is going to create the best environmental outcome, rather than a hodgepodge of different work being completed that could be contradictory and not achieve the green revolution the government wants.”

©1999 – Present | Parkmatic Publications Ltd. All rights reserved | LandlordZONE® – LATEST: More details on Chancellor’s £5,000 green grants for landlords due ‘next week’ | LandlordZONE.

View Full Article: LATEST: More details on Chancellor’s £5,000 green grants for landlords due ‘next week’

Landlord pays a heavy price for property extension after High Court appeal fails

admin    Uncategorized     agents

A Doncaster landlord who took his case all the way to the High Court after failing to get retrospective planning permission for an extension has lost the appeal.

His local council first found out about the first-floor extension on the back of the house in Kirk Street, Hexthorpe, after receiving a complaint from a member of the public in 2016.

This prompted the landlord to submit a retrospective planning application later that year, however, this was rejected by Doncaster Council which said the building breached planning regulations due to its unsuitable design, which didn’t fit in with the surrounding area.

The council took enforcement action in April 2017, ordering the landlord to take down the extension and return the house back to its former condition by September.

He appealed but the decision was upheld. But, when he didn’t comply with the enforcement notice for almost 20 months, council planning officers raised a prosecution in the local magistrates’ court.

The landlord opted to escalate the case to Sheffield Crown Court instead, where he pleaded not guilty but was fined £15,000 plus costs. He then took his appeal to the High Court, which has dismissed the case and upheld the fine. He’s now removed the extension.

A council spokesman tells LandlordZONE: “All breaches brought to the council’s attention will follow standard enforcement procedures.

“In this case, planning harm was identified, this was endorsed by the planning officer’s decision to refuse planning permission, this was further advocated by the appeal decision of the Planning Inspectorate.

“It is always advisable to seek the correct planning advise before commencing any development, to avoid potential enforcement action.”

Read more about landlord planning battles.

©1999 – Present | Parkmatic Publications Ltd. All rights reserved | LandlordZONE® – Landlord pays a heavy price for property extension after High Court appeal fails | LandlordZONE.

View Full Article: Landlord pays a heavy price for property extension after High Court appeal fails

LATEST: Tenants to be protected from eviction for another 14 months, recommends think tank

admin    Uncategorized     agents

The Scottish government should throw tenants a housing lifeline by extending legal protections from eviction until September 2021, says the Joseph Rowntree Foundation.

In its new report – A Stronger Scottish Lifeline in the Economic Storm – the influential social think-tank calls for a raft of measures to ensure that tenants are given genuinely affordable repayment plans.

It says the government should be prepared to step in when tenants are independently assessed as being unable to pay to ensure they can stay in their home until September 2021.

Joseph Rowntree Foundation reports that nearly half of those living in private rented accommodation have seen their income drop since March (45%), with seven in ten of those private renters who are now worse off, likely to be facing extra costs as well.

It’s calling for improved independent advice, advocacy and representation support to be made available to them and suggests an extension to current legal protections beyond September, keeping extended notice periods and maintaining the discretionary powers of the Housing Tribunal system until September 2021.

It also recommends that loan finance for landlords are tied to high standards on maintenance, energy efficiency and affordability.

Despite increases in the Local Housing Allowance (LHA) and Discretionary Housing Payments, the average shortfall between LHA and median rents is £20 per week, rising to £46 per week for an average three-bedroom house in Glasgow and Edinburgh, a gap of nearly £200 every month, according to its report.

The foundation believes the UK Government should urgently reset rates of LHA to cover median rents at least temporarily, as well as lifting the two-child limit and benefit cap and putting a freeze on rent increases for the rest of 2020.

©1999 – Present | Parkmatic Publications Ltd. All rights reserved | LandlordZONE® – LATEST: Tenants to be protected from eviction for another 14 months, recommends think tank | LandlordZONE.

View Full Article: LATEST: Tenants to be protected from eviction for another 14 months, recommends think tank

Housing Minister wants to give non-Covid related possession cases priority

admin    Uncategorized     agents

Housing Minister, Christopher Pincher MP responded to a written question from Labour MP Helen Hayes regarding the eviction ban extension and confirmed again that the ban on possession cases would end on 23rd August.

The Minister indicated that priority would be given for landlords and tenants in cases that are not related to COVID-19 including anti-social behaviour and long-standing cases.

The post Housing Minister wants to give non-Covid related possession cases priority appeared first on Property118.

View Full Article: Housing Minister wants to give non-Covid related possession cases priority

4 year rule and HMO planning permission

admin    Uncategorized     agents

I have an issue regarding an office that was converted into a 3-bed flat June 2016 with full planning permission and would welcome any advice on how to tackle the problem.

Since being converted, it has been rented out to 3 friends and was covered by a Selective Property Licence which was the correct licence type at the time.

The post 4 year rule and HMO planning permission appeared first on Property118.

View Full Article: 4 year rule and HMO planning permission

BREAKING: ‘Staycation’ investment boom begins as mortgage lenders report being ‘swamped’

admin    Uncategorized     agents

A staycation property investment boom is on the cards as buyers look to take advantage of hordes of Brits opting to holiday in the UK.

Queries from investors wanting to buy holiday lets are already up 25% since the Chancellor announced the stamp duty holiday last week, according to cottages.com research, and new products are being launched by lenders to capitalise on demand.

This week, YBS Commercial Mortgages reported that staycations are soaring in popularity and announced a new mortgage deal for holiday lets aimed at limited company borrowers.

The Ipswich Building Society (IBS) even had to temporarily pull its holiday let market product earlier this month after it was swamped by demand.

Chief executive Richard Norrington tells LandlordZONE that it hopes to reinstate it as soon as it’s cleared the backlog of current applications.

“We, and many other lenders have been overwhelmed with holiday let enquiries and so we know there is clearly a huge demand for holiday let mortgages as Brits abandon their plans for overseas holidays and look for alternative options in the UK,” he explains.

The number of holiday let mortgage products currently available is down from 162 to 60 while the number of providers has fallen from 20 to nine since 5th March, according to data firm Moneyfacts.

In June, there were 34 buy-to-let mortgages launched that accepted holiday lets, of these, 28 mortgages were specifically for holiday let mortgages. 

Moneyfacts finance expert Eleanor Williams reports that despite this reduction, the buy-to-let market seems to be moving slowly towards recovery.

She tells LandlordZONE: “We hope we will soon see more options for would-be investors to consider. Indeed, in a boost to this sector of the market, today has seen Leeds Building Society relaunch their two-year fixed range of holiday let products.” 

©1999 – Present | Parkmatic Publications Ltd. All rights reserved | LandlordZONE® – BREAKING: ‘Staycation’ investment boom begins as mortgage lenders report being ‘swamped’ | LandlordZONE.

View Full Article: BREAKING: ‘Staycation’ investment boom begins as mortgage lenders report being ‘swamped’

What will students want from their accommodation post-coronavirus?

admin    Uncategorized     agents

The coronavirus pandemic has disrupted almost every facet of society. For landlords and property owners, the disruptions have been significant, with many tenants facing furlough or redundancy and no way to pay rent. This issue has been even more challenging for student property providers

The post What will students want from their accommodation post-coronavirus? appeared first on Property118.

View Full Article: What will students want from their accommodation post-coronavirus?