Renting to Housing Association for refugees?

admin    Uncategorized     agents

I have been asked by a Housing Association to rent one of my properties to them. They will then re-let the property to people on their list.

They guarantee the payment of rent and will be paying approximate market rate.

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EXCLUSIVE: First signs of tenant rent defaulting emerges

admin    Uncategorized     agents

LandlordZONE has heard from a mortgage broker, letting agent and landlord about the difficulties the sector is facing during the crisis.

First signs that tenants are beginning
to feel the economic pain of Coronavirus are beginning to emerge, LandlordZONE
can report.

An agent in North London,
Dreamview Estates, has told us that he’s already had three tenants unable to
pay their rent this week, including one stuck in Peru who is unable to return
to work after the country went into lockdown.

Angus Stewart, chief executive at mortgage
broker Property Master, says landlords are reporting that some tenants are late
with rent payments or may not be able to pay their rent at all.

He tells LandlordZONE: “One landlord’s tenant hasn’t been paid by his Italian company so can’t pay the rent. Where will the short-fall be met from?” The broker is also urging lenders to take an understanding approach when dealing with customers struggling to pay their mortgages due to the Coronavirus outbreak, and landlords facing loan repayment problems as tenants begin to default on rents.

Stewart also points out that, even though
landlords have now been included in the government’s plans to introduce three-month
mortgage payment holidays, the ‘interest will keep rolling up’.

Call for action

Speaking to LandlordZONE, British Landlords Association CEO Sajjad
Ahmad agrees that the Government needs to take landlords into consideration.

Ahmad recognises
that while some tenants are genuinely self-isolating, he says some might use the
situation as an excuse not to pay rent.

He adds: “What
support is there for landlords who have mortgages to pay? Some of our members are also now concerned that property
prices will drop and they will have trouble selling. I hope the Government will soon provide some
clarity.”

One landlord’s view

Ahmad’s were echoed by one of our
readers, Dave, who this morning said: “The mortgage holiday plan is no help to Landlords that are
mortgage-free on their let properties and depend on the rental income as their
only means of income.

“They can’t pick
money off the tree, are not able to claim benefits due to owning assets, which
obviously can’t be liquidated.

“All landlords
irrespective of their own circumstances will undoubtably have tenants that
struggle or are unable to pay their rent and will, I am sure, be sympathetic in
these circumstances and treat tenants with the empathy they deserve.

“With that in
mind will any Landlord groups be asking the government to provide additional
funding on behalf of those Landlords that have no income?”.

©1999 – Present | Parkmatic Publications Ltd. All rights reserved | LandlordZONE® – EXCLUSIVE: First signs of tenant rent defaulting emerges | LandlordZONE.

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Should you inspect your property if your tenants are self-isolating?

admin    Uncategorized     agents

Much of a letting agent’s work involves meeting different people and visiting homes on a day-to-day basis – and with the current events surrounding Coronavirus, it is more important than ever for agents to know their rights and safety responsibilities.

Last week, the Hamilton Fraser Academy
held its first Legal Update & Compliance course of 2020, where letting agents
gathered to learn more about lettings law and compliance with legislation.

The course highlighted the importance of carrying out
property inspections and keeping comprehensive audit trails. Audit trails are a
vital record of any interaction, communication or action taken with a client
and are key in the event of a complaint or dispute.

Due to current restrictions surrounding Coronavirus, many
people across the country are beginning to self-isolate within their homes,
which can make certain parts of a landlord or letting agent’s job tricky –
particularly inspections.

Landlords and agents should know that you can reserve the
right to refuse to carry out a property inspection if you have a valid reason
to do so, as long as you are able to show that you have made every reasonable
attempt.

For example, in the event that you have scheduled to visit a property for a mandatory inspection, such as a gas safety inspection, and you are unable to access the property, you must be able to provide evidence that you had a legitimate reason for why you couldn’t. If the tenant doesn’t allow you access to the property, or you are unable to enter for safety reasons, your audit trail must detail this. The Guild of Letting and Management (GLM) reported that a letting agent recently visited a property where the tenant had just arrived back in the country after visiting an area affected by coronavirus, and as a result were now self-isolating. The agent had received no warning beforehand and was immediately welcomed into the home upon arrival.

In this situation, the agent would have been within their
rights to refuse to enter the property as there was a safety risk present,
however they were unable to do so because the tenant failed to make them aware
of the risk beforehand.

This is why it is important establish clear lines of
communication with the tenant, complete a safety checklist before the
inspection, and keep an audit trail of all events. Your audit trail will show
that you made a reasonable attempt to access the property, and that you had a
legitimate reason to postpone the inspection. This evidence will protect you in
the event of a dispute or any allegations of negligence.

Brand Ambassador for Hamilton Fraser and Founder of Landlord Action,
Paul Shamplina, commented: ‘As the risk surrounding coronavirus continues to
rise, it is more important than ever for letting agents and landlords to
consider taking safety precautions before carrying out inspections.’

‘If you don’t already have a safety checklist, make sure that you prepare one and use it every time you plan to visit a property.’ For expert letting agent advice, make use of the new HF Assist helpline. Also visit, the Government’s guidance for households with possible coronavirus infection.

©1999 – Present | Parkmatic Publications Ltd. All rights reserved | LandlordZONE® – Should you inspect your property if your tenants are self-isolating? | LandlordZONE.

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Breaking: Eviction proceedings are to be delayed by three months during crisis

admin    Uncategorized     agents

Tenants who are suffering financial difficulties and cannot pay their rent will be spared eviction proceedings under emergency legislation due to be enacted in parliament.

The government has revealed the full details of Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s announcement in parliament yesterday of plans to ‘ban evictions’ during the Coronavirus pandemic.

Instead of a complete ban,
landlords will have to wait three months before starting eviction proceedings
against a tenant if their financial difficulties are related to Coronavirus.

Late yesterday evening the
Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government released a statement
saying that it would bring forward emergency legislation to introduce the
changes.

These will suspend new
evictions from social or private rented accommodation while ‘this national
emergency is taking place’ and that ‘no new possession proceedings through applications
to the court’ will start during the crisis.

Indicating how long the
government believes this crisis may last, the statement also says that: “Landlords will not
be able to start proceedings to evict tenants for at least a three-month period”.

It has also been announced that pre-action protocols, which are used within the social landlord sector within England and Wales to ensure that the necessary information is before a court at the first hearing, are to be strengthened and widened to include tenants within the private rented sector.

“This will support
the necessary engagement between landlords and tenants to resolve disputes and
landlords will have to reach out to tenants to understand the financial
position they are in,” the statement says.

Secretary
of State Robert Jenrick says: “The government is clear – no renter who has lost
income due to coronavirus will be forced out of their home.”

©1999 – Present | Parkmatic Publications Ltd. All rights reserved | LandlordZONE® – Breaking: Eviction proceedings are to be delayed by three months during crisis | LandlordZONE.

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No Rent For Buy To Let Landlords

admin    Uncategorized     agents

Its a distressing time for Buy To Let (BTL) Landlords with tenants affected by Coronavirus (COVID-19). Now if tenants don’t pay their rent, landlords won’t be able to evict them for non rent payment using a Section 21 notice.

This poses a problem if tenants start to demand rent payment holidays of their landlords.

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Coronavirus: Buy-to-let payment holiday and eviction ban announced

admin    Uncategorized     agents

Payment holidays for landlords with buy-to-let mortgages are among a package of measures introduced by the government today in response to the coronavirus pandemic. The payment holidays, for up to three months, will be offered on the understanding the benefit is to be passed on to the tenant. The move follows extensive lobbying on the […]

The post Coronavirus: Buy-to-let payment holiday and eviction ban announced appeared first on RLA Campaigns and News Centre.

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Prime Minister confirms all UK’s 20 million tenants to be protected from eviction during pandemic

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After several days of campaigning by politicians and housing charities, the government has accepted that Coronavirus makes evictions unacceptable.

Laws to protect tenants from eviction are be brought forward by the government within its emergency legislation package, the Prime Minister has confirmed today.

His response followed a question asked by Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn during Prime Minister’s Question Time in the Commons.

“Yesterday the Chancellor, unfortunately, offered nothing to the 20 million people living in rented homes, including three million households with children,” said Corbyn.

“These people are worried sick that they will not be able to pay their rent if they get ill, lose pay or feel that they need to self-isolate.

“It is in the interests of public health, of the health of all of us, that people do not feel forced to go to work in order to avoid eviction when they know that they may be spreading this terrible disease, so will the Prime Minister now confirm that the Government’s emergency legislation will protect private renters from eviction?”.

Johnson replied that Corbyn had made a ‘series of powerful points’ and said: “I can indeed confirm that we will be bringing forward legislation to protect private renters from eviction.

“That is one thing we will do, but it is also important that, as we legislate, we do not simply pass on the problem, so we will also be taking steps to protect other actors in the economy.”

Pressure has been building for several days now for the government to take this decision, including research released today by housing charity Shelter that showed some 50,000 people could be evicted over the next six months as the pandemic plays out.

©1999 – Present | Parkmatic Publications Ltd. All rights reserved | LandlordZONE® – Prime Minister confirms all UK’s 20 million tenants to be protected from eviction during pandemic | LandlordZONE.

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Landlord’s ‘coronavirus’ holiday home promotion sparks social media outcry

admin    Uncategorized     agents

Isle of Skye company offers mainlanders a place to escape the pandemic for £3,100 but promotion backfires after leading politician savages it online.

A landlord promoting his
holiday homes on the Isle of Skye as somewhere for guests to escape the threat
of coronavirus has sparked an outcry on social media.

For £3,100 a month, up to eight people can stay in
one of Skye Serviced
Accommodation’s 23 lets or ‘isolation solutions’ where holidaymakers can protect their
loved ones after being tested to ensure they’re all illness-free.

Owner
Ben Greer will provide food and supplies to temporary tenants for £100 per
person per night – however, they have to pay up front and agree to stay for at
least one month. This buys a food delivery, but not the food itself, a weekly
change of towels and linens and a cleaning kit for the property.

Comparing
the pandemic to warfare, his online listing explains: “I am an ex-Royal Air
Force Chinook helicopter crewman having served six operational front-line tours
of Afghanistan. I understand what an emergency is and will go as far as it
takes to mitigate transmission of the current threat.”

It
adds: “I cannot guarantee that you won’t get the virus here, but I can say that
the risks are severely cut to a minimum and that we will use all available
powers to deliver a sanitised and procedurally safe environment.”

The
listing was attacked by many for profiteering on social media, including
Scottish Greens MSP Andy Wightman, who tweeted: “The country faces a crisis. Folk can’t afford homes on
Skye. But this scumbag outfit is advertising 23 short-term lets for
self-isolation.”

©1999 – Present | Parkmatic Publications Ltd. All rights reserved | LandlordZONE® – Landlord’s ‘coronavirus’ holiday home promotion sparks social media outcry | LandlordZONE.

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Britain urged to join global trend and ban evictions until pandemic is over

admin    Uncategorized     agents

Cities in Spain and the US have already banned evictions and pressure group Generation Rent says the UK should follow suit, despite scant evidence that Coronavirus-linked evictions are taking place.

Generation
Rent is urging the Government to follow cities around the world which have
halted evictions for tenants affected by Coronavirus.

The pressure group wants to see a temporary end to all
Section 21 ‘no fault’ evictions and Section 8 evictions for rent arrears, as
well as the removal of the five-week wait for Housing Benefit, and to ensure this
covers rent costs. 

It is also calling for a one-year rent increase freeze to
prevent landlords from raising rents to unaffordable levels.

Although some
landlords may view these demands as extreme and even foolhardy, Generation Rent
may get its way.

When Chancellor
Rishi Sunak announced a three-month mortgage holiday for struggling homeowners
yesterday, he also told the House of Commons: “The Housing Secretary will, in
the coming days, make a statement with further measures to protect renters
through these difficult times.”

Generation believes renters are particularly vulnerable
to the effects of Coronavirus as two- thirds have no savings and typically
spend 40% of their income on rent.

Renters who lose income can claim Universal Credit, which
includes housing benefit, but the five-week wait leaves them vulnerable to rent
arrears and eviction, says the group.

Tenants are being advised to contact their landlord for a rent holiday, but there’s no obligation for them to offer one.

Areas of
Spain and cities across the USA have now halted evictions for the duration of
the pandemic, with France making funds available to postpone rent payments
altogether. 

Caitlin
Wilkinson, policy manager at Generation Rent, says renters shouldn’t have to
choose between staying healthy and keeping a roof over their head.

“Without further
protection, millions of renters will be unable to pay their rent and will be
reliant on the goodwill of their landlord,” she says. “We know that many
landlords will take action to evict tenants, leaving them homeless in the midst
of a pandemic.”

©1999 – Present | Parkmatic Publications Ltd. All rights reserved | LandlordZONE® – Britain urged to join global trend and ban evictions until pandemic is over | LandlordZONE.

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Temporary solution to rent payment issues following Covid-19 advice

admin    Uncategorized     agents

Government advice to restrict the spread of Coronavirus is, and will obviously have, a detrimental knock on effect to levels of employment, wages and self employed income.

Jeremy Corbyn and the Labour party are pushing hard for legislation such that non-payment of rent due to Coronavirus would not count as legal grounds for eviction.

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