Manchester rolls out next wave of selective licensing schemes

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Five more selective licensing schemes have opened in Manchester, covering 700 private sector homes.

Landlords in four new areas will now need to apply for a licence, in Levenshulme: Matthews Lane, Longsight: The Royals, Moss Side & Whalley Range: Claremont Road/Great Western Street/Bowes Street, and Rusholme: Birch Lane, Off Laindon Road and Dickenson Road. An early bird discount is available until 8th August.  

The new designations follow a public consultation last October. According to the council, potential schemes in Cheetham will need further investigation and it has promised to review the case for including this area in a future phase following further consultation.  

Four schemes

Four schemes already operate in the city, in The Ladders – Gorton and Abbey Hey, Hyde Road – Gorton and Abbey Hey, Trinity – Harpurhey and Ben Street area – Clayton and Openshaw.  

The council reports that 1,887 properties have been fully licensed since 2017, with 677 compliance inspections carried out; 82 properties were non-compliant and enforcement action has included 21 civil penalty notices totalling fines of £115,299.

Significant improvements

There are about 90,000 private rented homes in Manchester, 38% of the city’s housing supply, says councillor Gavin White, executive member for housing and employment, who adds that without intervention to tackle housing issues, it wouldn’t see long-term significant improvements. “This is where selective licensing is proving impactful, and our residents are seeing tangible improvements in their homes,” explains White.

“Of course, we know that the majority of landlords take their responsibilities seriously and work hard to provide a safe and well-managed property. But it is important that we work to tackle those landlords who seem willing to put their tenants’ safety at risk.”  

A new devolution deal was agreed by the government earlier this year to give the 10 Greater Manchester councils powers to approve larger selective licensing schemes.

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Renters Reform Bill is delayed – again

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In news that will not surprise anyone, the government has revealed that ‘procedural issues’ have delayed the publication of the Renters Reform Bill that is poised to shake up the private rented sector, the Mirror reveals.

It is now more than four years since the government first unveiled its plans to improve renters’

View Full Article: Renters Reform Bill is delayed – again

Hold-up for Renters’ Reform Bill blamed on ‘procedural issues’

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The government has delayed its long-awaited Renters’ Reform Bill, raising fears from the opposition that the draft legislation could be diluted.

It blamed the hold-up on “procedural issues” after Housing Secretary Michael Gove promised last week that the Bill would begin life a few days after the King’s coronation. A Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities spokesman told The Mirror: “We are absolutely committed to delivering a fairer deal for renters.”

Fuel doubts

Labour’s Shadow Housing Secretary Lisa Nandy warned the further delay would fuel doubts that ministers will deliver fully on their promises to the UK’s private renters. She said: “This government has already abandoned first-time buyers by caving in on housing targets. My message to ministers on rent reform is clear – do not backtrack on the promises you have made, do not drop any commitments, do not roll over to your backbenchers again.”

Labour has promised to bring in its own renter reform charter to beef up rights if it gets into power.

Four years

When the Renters’ Reform Bill is finally published it will be four years since the government first announced its proposals on ‘a new deal for renting: resetting the balance of rights and responsibilities between landlords and tenants’ back in 2019. After a protracted consultation, suggested measures are set to include abolishing Section 21, a property portal, requiring private rented properties to meet the Decent Homes Standard and establishing a new ombudsman covering private landlords.

The DLUHC spokesman added: “We will bring forward legislation very shortly, which will include a ban on ‘no fault’ evictions, so that all tenants have greater security in their homes and are empowered to challenge poor conditions. We are also introducing a Decent Homes Standard for the Private Rented Sector for the first time ever which will make sure privately rented homes are safe and decent.”

View Full Article: Hold-up for Renters’ Reform Bill blamed on ‘procedural issues’

Small claims action against managing agents?

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Hello, in one of my tenanted properties, there was a flat-to-flat water leak (from my flat) – there are 80 flats in total. The managing agents were advised by the flat below mine and it was classified as an urgent water leak.

View Full Article: Small claims action against managing agents?

Education job needed for tenants to make link between cold and mould

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Public information campaigns are needed to raise awareness of the consequences of not turning the heating on as often in rented properties, says the NRLA.

When quizzing 2,000 tenants in England and Wales about the impact rising utility bills have had on their household budget, the landlord group found more than half (53%) had limited heating and hot water times or turned off heating in certain rooms during the winter.  

There was an even split between those who had experienced problems with damp, mould, or condensation and those who had not, says the NRLA which adds that 44% of landlords felt rising energy prices and the heating being on less had a “significant or major influence” on issues with damp, mould and condensation compared with only 28% of tenants.

Contrasting viewpoints

“The contrasting viewpoints underlines the need for public information campaigns to increase understanding of the consequences of not turning the heating on as often in a property,” it reports. “More should be done to inform stakeholders about the consequences of not having the heating on during winter.” 

Most tenants surveyed – over 80% – have had to make some form of cutbacks elsewhere in their household budgets as a result of rising utility bills; of the 14% of tenants who had broached the topic with their landlord, two-thirds (66%) of landlords had provided practical help.

Cash deposit

Elsewhere, research by deposit alternative product Reposit found that nearly one third of renters are turning to friends and family, using credit cards, personal loans or dipping into their overdraft to fund a cash deposit, while some are using more than one of these sources.

Meanwhile, Which? estimates that 700,000 UK households missed or defaulted on a rent or mortgage payment last month. The consumer body says missed housing payments were particularly high among renters, affecting one in 20 tenants surveyed.

View Full Article: Education job needed for tenants to make link between cold and mould

Landlords rush to offload their energy-poor properties

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Thousands of private landlords have started selling their properties ahead of government changes to Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) regulations. 

More than 65,000 rental properties went up for sale in the first three months of the year, 36,460 of which had an EPC rating of D or less, according to market analyst TwentyCi which collates new instruction data from estate agents.

Costly changes

Landlords look set to be forced to ensure all their properties have at least a C rating by 2028 or face fines of up to £30,000. Many will have to make costly changes such as installing heat pumps and double glazing, which will be particularly hard for those letting homes achieving low rents.  

Some 60% of rental properties on the market had EPC ratings of D or below, up from 57% a year ago, indicating that the number of properties for sale with low energy efficiency credentials was higher than normal, according to a report in the Telegraph. Sales of C-rated properties were down by a fifth for the year. 

Government funding

David Hannah, group chairman at Cornerstone Tax, says under the changes to the EPC ratings for buy-to-let properties, only 0.2% of UK landlords would qualify for government funding.

 “I believe getting all rental properties to a standard EPC rating of C will be far too costly for landlords, and as a result, there must be more government funding,” adds Hannah. “We are currently experiencing a huge demand for rental stock at a time when there is worrying undersupply, and I fear this will only worsen as more landlords look to sell. I advise landlords to work out how much it will cost them to make these changes and offset the time it will take for their investment to pay off.”

View Full Article: Landlords rush to offload their energy-poor properties

The best service for landlords who need to sell their property

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If you’re a landlord who needs to sell their properties and is struggling, keep reading, because we have the best solution for you. No catch, no fuss, we simply know exactly what to do to help you.

You need to sell. Whether it’s to pay off a tax bill, cut the rot of mortgages outweighing rental income, or perhaps you want to cash in and downsize before the market drops even further.

Estate agents don’t cut it. They’re taking far too long to sell in the current market, and the value they’re getting is low.

In fact house prices are selling for far less, and it looks like that trend will continue. Over the last 12 months, Nationwide reported a fall in prices year-on-year of 3.1%, with lenders saying “it will be hard for the market to regain much momentum in the near term.”

Enter Landlord Sales Agency. We’ve put in measures to overcome this problem completely. We’re selling landlord properties fast, and we’re getting far higher prices than anyone else. What’s more, we have a team of experts to ensure your sales don’t fall through.

If you were unsure about selling, or on the fence, there’s no need to worry. We’re making certain that now really is a great time to sell if you sell through us. Over the last year, more than 200 LandlordZONE landlords approached us to sell their buy-to-lets and property portfolios, and we delivered. We do exactly what we say we’ll do, and with a huge database of over 30,000 private buyers who get notified of our deals via text message as soon as you get in touch with us to sell, we’re selling properties faster than anyone else.

But what about tenanted properties? If you’re worried about tenants holding you back, you don’t need to. That’s where we excel the most. Because our company is owned by a landlord, myself, David Coughlin, I’ve gathered the best team in the country to help solve all my tenant issues, and I personally use that same team for you.

In fact, we go above and beyond to sell tenanted properties. We’re so confident we’ll get you a high price for all of your properties, fast, we have no problem helping tenants pay their current rents, pay off arrears, pay for them to relocate and in some cases, even pay their rent in advance for the next landlord who takes your property on. For very difficult cases, we’ve got the best relationships with local councils across the UK allowing us to get councils to pay rent for tenants, clear any outstanding funds they owe you and even have the councils pay off all their legal costs.

For houses with stubborn survey issues, we bring on board our entire building team and housing networks to resolve every single problem, ensuring that sales don’t fall out of bed, and that landlords like you don’t have to take a big drop in price.

It’s as straightforward as that. No hassle, no nonsense. We get landlord properties sold.

Get in touch and let us do it for you.

Contact Landlord Sales Agency

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Tenant demand reaches a record high

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Tenant demand has reached an all-time high, according to new research.

A survey of 700 landlords by Paragon Bank reveals that 67% of landlords experienced increased tenant demand during the first quarter of this year.

Landlords in the East of England saw the highest levels of tenant demand with nine in 10 seeing an increase.

View Full Article: Tenant demand reaches a record high

Section 21 – essential documents?

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Hello, a simple question hopefully! I have issued an S21 to my tenant and expect to have to apply for possession on form N5B. (Accelerated possession)

I believe that the N5B MUST be sent with:
1. Tenancy Agreement
2.

View Full Article: Section 21 – essential documents?

‘Horticultural horrors’ revealed by DPS

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The Deposit Protection scheme reveals some of the unusual tenancy deposit disputes that they have come across relating to gardens.

One case saw a tenant pulling up thousands of pounds worth of exotic plants believing they were weeds.

View Full Article: ‘Horticultural horrors’ revealed by DPS