Smoke Detector Requirements for 3 bedroom Flat

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I have a 3 bedroom Victorian purpose built (not a flat conversion) ground floor terrace flat which I let as a flatshare to 3 friends.

I understand that makes it a non-regulated HMO.

My estate agent says the property only requires battery operated smoke detectors.

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Sabrina of Caridon Landlord Solutions £14724.33 overpayment victory

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Caridon Landlord Solutions expert team assist landlords with tenants on Housing Benefit and Universal Credit by proving ad hoc advice on various issues that the landlord may face during the tenancy cycle from tenancy set up to overpayment disputes and appeals.

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Some statistics: key points of information for buy-to-let

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Rental Housing Market:

Here is a mixture of key points of information from the latest English Housing Survey, commissioned by the Department for Communities and Local Government, included in an article by the Daily Telegraph Money & Property, and a recent report from Civitas titled: “Britain’s Demographic Challenge: The implications of the UK’s rapidly increasing population”

Understanding the housing market and demography should influence everything private landlords do when planning future investments; everything from population change, housing standards and government policy should inform your next property investment.

The government, in their wisdom, provide a housing market snapshot every year through its English Housing Survey, the latest edition of which here covers 2015-16. This year marks the 50th anniversary of the survey. Reports like the Civitas one, which is a forecast of future population trends, adds positively to the mix.

• There are an estimated to be around 22.8 million households in England. No one knows the exact number of course, but of these, it is estimated around 14.3 million are owner-occupied, making up 63pc of the market – a figure much to the consternation of some in the Conservative ranks, as home ownership is party policy – is down from its peak of 71pc in 2003, but the figure has remained unchanged for the past three years.
• The private rented sector has increased in size the most. There are now estimated to be 4.5 million households renting privately in England, up from 2.4 million in 2005-06 – an increase of 8pc. In comparison, the social housing sector (SHS), which was bigger than the private rented sector (PRS) until recently, has declined 3.9 million households rent social housing.
• The proportion of 25 to 34-year-olds renting privately has nearly doubled in 10 years or so, from 24pc in 2005-06 to 46pc in 2015-16. The average age for private renting is therefore the lowest of all forms of occupation at 40, which compares to 52 for social renters and 57 for owner-occupiers.
• As might be expected, private tenants move about the most. The average time in their current rental home is 4.3 years, which compares to 11.6 years for social renters and 17.8 years for owner-occupiers.
• Seventy three per cent of private tenants (73pc) ended their last tenancy themselves, while 11pc of tenancies were ended by the landlord or agent. Of the tenancies ended by the landlord, 63pc were because the landlord wanted to use or sell the property.
• It is estimated that twenty eight per cent (28pc), more than a quarter of all private rented homes failed to meet the Decent Homes Standard in 2015. This measure sets minimum requirements on a property’s state of repair; its facilities and services; its energy efficiency and heating; and its health and safety standards. In comparison, 18pc of owner-occupied homes and 13pc of social rented homes were not up to scratch.
• Nearly three-fifths of private renters (59pc) aim to buy in the future, which compares with 27pc of social renters. Affordability (the means to provide a big enough deposit) is the main reason private tenants do not expect to be able to own a property.
• The vast majority of the UK’s private rented housing stock is owned by landlords with just a single property – small-scale landlords. Despite significant institutional investment in the sector, which is growing, encouraged by government policy and tax breaks, over 93% of landlords in the UK have a single rental property and together they account for 81% of privately rented stock, that’s according to analysis of Countrywide Residential Letting’s database of over 65,000 rental properties.
• Data from Countrywide Residential shows that there is very little variation throughout England, Scotland and Wales, with single property landlords accounting for between 78% and 83% of all private rented properties.
• In the year ending 30 June 2016 the estimated population of the United Kingdom increased by an average of 1,475 per day – a total increase in the year of 538,500. This equates to a small town of 10,355 people being added to the country every single week.
• If the UK average of 2.3 people per dwelling is maintained into the future, though we know some immigrants are living in conditions much more densely packed than that, 641 new dwellings per day would be needed to house 1,475 people, says the report.
• If the population continues to grow at the rate of over 500,000 a year, as the Civitas report forecasts, by 2039 there will be just under 10 million (9.7m) more people living in the UK – that’s enough, says the report, “to populate Greater Manchester three times over”.
• Even if Brexit results in a much more restrictive immigration policy, given the current trajectory, it will be at least 10 years before any reduction in population works its way through the system – as the Civitas report states, policy changes take at least 10 years to have any significant impact. So, the result of any changes made now will not be seen much before 2030.

©1999 – Present | Parkmatic Publications Ltd. All rights reserved | LandlordZONE® – Some statistics: key points of information for buy-to-let | LandlordZONE.

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Best and Final Offer – Scam or Genuine

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I viewed a “re-possessed” property yesterday which was in a state. The agent wouldn’t confirm, but from what I can gather, the previous owner died in situ and was probably not found for a period of time given the staining on the carpet and smell.

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Theresa May – “I will take charge to solve the housing crisis”

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Theresa May’s grueling speech to the Tory party conference pledged to fix the broken housing market and to fulfil the “British Dream” for you people to own a home, but it was light on new policy details and money.

On the PRS May said that she wanted to give redress to tenants where landlords did not adequately maintain their homes.

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Kate Faulkner and TDS launch report into conflicts in the PRS

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Property expert Kate Faulkner has called for greater education of tenants and landlords of their respective rights and responsibilities in the rented sector to minimise conflicts.

The founder of PropertyChecklists.com and consultancy Designs on Property Ltd made the call in a report on reducing conflicts in the PRS on behalf of Tenancy Deposit Scheme’s (TDS) Charitable Foundation.

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Section 24 and Student Debt

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As we all know, student finances and debt are hugely sensitive subjects for all politicians at the moment. One of Corbyn’s key platforms has been student fees and the resultant debt that comes with them. The Conservatives have also had a pop in this space in the last week with a pathetic pitch to “limit” the exposure of students to debt in the future (a drop in the ocean if you ask me).

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Tenant internet copyright infringement

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I rent out a property where the rent is all inclusive of bills including internet.

I have just received an email from the Internet Service Provider informing me that they have been notified of a copyright infringement –

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The truth about Managed Payment Requests (Full Service)

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The DWP guidance states:

8. Support and Alternative Payment Arrangements

8.1 Alternative Payment Arrangements and managing rent arrears

If a tenant gets into difficulty paying their rent, the landlord can apply for an Alternative Payment Arrangement (APA) Managed Payment to Landlord (MPTL) which will be considered on a case by case basis.

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RLA’s hard hitting Budget Submission

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2017/18 Budget:

The Residential Landlords’ Association calls for the scrapping of mortgage interest relief (MIR) changes brought in by previous Chancellor, George Osborne.

Axing its controversial cuts to mortgage interest relief “would be the best way for the government to support the country’s small-scale landlords,” says the Residential Landlords Association (RLA).

In its submission, ahead of the 2017 budget on November 22nd the association said: “the government should follow the lead of Ireland by scrapping the changes.”

It is calling for action on the mortgage lenders who prevent landlords from offering the ‘family-friendly’ longer tenancies that some renters want and the introduction of a scheme allowing tenants with good payment histories to have them recognised by credit reference agencies.

It is not all about problems. The RLA claims its submission includes viable solutions:

• The association has put forward a number of proposals, including calls for the government to introduce tax incentives for those landlords willing to sell properties to sitting tenants, those offering longer tenancies and those investing in energy efficiency improvements.
• The RLA believes that where a landlord is prepared to sell a property to a sitting tenant the 20% rate of Capital Gains Tax should be applied rather than the current 28%
• DJS Research findings for the RLA report that 77% of private landlords would consider selling their property to tenants if the tax liability was waived.
• The association would also like to see unused and abandoned plots of public sector land redeveloped as new sites for PRS homes.
• All projections are that the demand for homes in the private rented sector will continue, with predictions that 25% of all homes will be in the PRS by 2021.

But supply is a huge problem says the RLA.

• The government has encouraged greater institutional investment in the private rented sector but evidence shows that this will never be enough to meet the rising demand.
• The market will continue to be dominated by individuals and small firms renting out a few properties – and these people need support.

The RLA says it has been campaigning tirelessly for the reversal of the changes to MIR since they were announced, with thousands of members contacting or meeting their MPs to press home the devastating consequences of the plans on their tenants and businesses.

RLA Chairman Alan Ward said:

“RLA research shows many landlords have stopped investing in more properties as a result of recent tax changes, instead moving into short term holiday lets or ceasing to rent to groups deemed ‘high risk’ such as the young and those on benefits.

“These decisions have far-reaching consequences for a country in the grip of a housing crisis and we will do everything in our power to convince the government that this unfair tax must be reversed.”

To read the budget submission in full click here

The RLA represents over 50,000 private sector residential landlords in England and Wales.

©1999 – Present | Parkmatic Publications Ltd. All rights reserved | LandlordZONE® – RLA’s hard hitting Budget Submission | LandlordZONE.

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