Rent-to-rent tenants face ‘scandalous’ Universal Credit clawback, it is reported

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Sub-letting tenants who started receiving Universal Credit during the pandemic are fighting repayment requests from the Department of Work and Pensions.

A national newspaper has reported that they have been wrongly told they must pay back more than £5,000 of benefits awarded at the start of the pandemic after the DWP began retrospectively reassessing claims and decided that many with rent-to-rent arrangements weren’t entitled to the benefit. Housing charities have warned that a swathe of claimants are likely to face incorrect penalties.

The number of private renters claiming Universal Credit soared from 749,000 to 1,549,000 between March 2020 and February 2021, as certain vetting procedures were suspended due to Covid. 

The i newspaper reports that Mick Vokes, 48, from Eastleigh in Hampshire was told to repay £5,300 in housing benefit approved at the start of the pandemic for his £600-a-month rent, as the DWP said he was not eligible because he did not have a tenancy agreement for his sub-let property.

Tenancy agreement

Vokes said: “If I had known that I needed a tenancy agreement I would have moved out and found somewhere else, but at no point did [the DWP] tell me it was necessary.”

The DWP has since apologised for the error. According to one housing expert, its policy of requiring a tenancy agreement as proof of renting has no legal basis.

A DWP spokesperson said: “At the onset of the pandemic we rightly suspended certain verification processes as we could no longer see customers face-to-face. However, we made customers aware that we may return to seek this verification in the future, which we have done in these cases.”

Bill Irvine at Universal Credit Advice tells LandlordZONE that with Universal Credit, any overpayment is potentially recoverable but that the DWP could have asked landlords to provide validation.

“It’s one thing if someone has provided a false tenancy agreement and misrepresented themselves, however, with these cases it’s not a proper revision and the DWP don’t have the right to cancel a claim – asking people to repay money is scandalous,” he says.

Read more about Universal Credit.

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Asylum seeker HMO operator fined £60,000 for running house without licence

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A company that houses asylum seekers has been fined more than £60,000 for HMO offences in Newport.

Clearsprings Ready Homes, which has the contract for operating accommodation for asylum seekers in Wales, was found guilty of letting an HMO in Redland Street (pictured), in the Brynglas area of the city, without a licence.

The firm, which has a registered business address in Rayleigh, Essex, was found to have failed to comply with the requirements of a housing notice when it didn’t produce requested documents without a reasonable excuse.

The company also failed to comply with management regulations; Newport Magistrates Court heard that it had not ensured firefighting equipment and fire alarms were maintained in good working order. It received fines totalling £60,586 and must pay up by 26^th November.

Mixed portfolio

Clearsprings Ready Homes has a mixed portfolio of 1,500 owned and leased properties across the UK, from large HMOs and hostel style accommodation to small studio apartments. It is registered as having six other HMOs in the Newport area.

The company offers landlords a fully-managed service with long-term lets, guaranteeing no void periods, fixed monthly rental payments at current market rates and a full repairs and maintenance service for occupant damage.

Its website says: “We are a business that prides itself on providing value for money, quality and transparency in a package that meets the needs of our customers whilst complying with the stringent standards demanded by our contracts and local authority legislation.”

The firm declined to comment on the ruling.

Read more: Ignorance of rules won’t stop huge fines warns judge.

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LATEST: Key report into effectiveness of landlord regulation due next month

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A key report by the National Audit Office (NAO) into private rental market regulation is due to be published next month, LandlordZONE has been told.

The NAO, which is tasked with measuring all governments’ effectiveness, wants to know whether the existing laws and regulations covering landlords – which currently total some 200 – support the government’s aim of ‘making renting fairer for renters’.

Its ‘Regulation of Private Renting’ study will examine three key areas of the recently-renamed housing ministry’s activity within the sector.

Now called the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, the NAO wants to report on whether it has a clear strategy to meet its aims and whether it understands the problems facing private tenants.

It also wants to know if DLUHC has enough powers to incentivise and support landlords to treat tenants fairly and comply with regulations.

Lastly, the report will tackle the extent to ‘which consumers are empowered to enforce their rights when things go wrong, and whether regulatory interventions are targeted at those in most need’.

Financial issues

The NAO says that, although most renters in the private rented sector have a good experience, ‘those who do not can end up with serious illnesses, financial issues or homelessness’.

It is understood that the NAO is aiming to publish the report during December but warns timings are always subject to change.

It is widely believed that the delay of the government White Paper on renting reform, which was also due next month, was delayed until next year partly to give time for the NAO’s report to be taken on board by Ministers once it is published.

Pic credit: TP Bennett

©1999 – Present | Parkmatic Publications Ltd. All rights reserved | LandlordZONE® – LATEST: Key report into effectiveness of landlord regulation due next month | LandlordZONE.

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To throw or not to throw?

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Nightmare tenant evicted and finally gone last week. She’s tried every legal trick in the book to get the council to re-house her (she moved into the small house with her partner and very quickly produced three children) and is playing every single legal card she can try to get the council to re-house her in a three bed property.

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Average house price tops quarter of million pounds

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The Nationwide House Price Index has just been released for October with the average property price breaking the quarter of a million barrier for the first time at £250,311.

Annual house price growth remained high at 9.9%  and prices were up 0.7% month-on-month.

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TONIGHT: Dodgy rent-to-rent operator tackled on on Slum Landlords, Nightmare Tenants at 10pm

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The new series of Slum Landlords, Nightmare Tenants is to return to TV this week after Channel 5 as part of its new 12-show series.

The latest episode is due to air tonight (3rd November) at 10pm and will feature Landlord Action’s Paul Shamplina, who helps a landlord escape the clutches of a dodgy rent-to-rent or ‘guaranteed rent’ firm that failed to pass on rent and mismanaged his properties.

LandlordZONE looked into the firm, called RHP Lettings, last year after landlord Gulam Sumar asked for help to highlight his plight and to warn other people not to use its service.

Even after he spent several years and thousands of pounds regaining possession of his two properties, Sumar faced a repairs bill at the addresses totalling some £24,000 despite having spent £185,000 doing the properties prior to taking on RHP, cash he is unlikely to recoup.

The landlords reveal that: “A two-year break clause was written in the contract so after months of problems with the agent and thousands of pounds of missing rent I tried to serve notice, but even that was extremely difficult as they wouldn’t answer my calls or emails.

“They wouldn’t even give me access to inspect the properties, something that should have been done every three months. I could see both properties were very run down, but I could never get in.”

Numerous complaints

Shamplina adds: “Landlord Action has received numerous complaints against RHP Services, now operating as RHP Lettings, from landlords in similar situations to Mr Sumar and all prove how guaranteed rent (or rent-to-rent) can go disastrously wrong.

“In this particular case, we wanted to finally confront the agent at their office to apply pressure, and this can be seen on tomorrow’s show. Thankfully, with a tenacious landlord and our expertise we managed to collect the full amount of rent back, totalling some £24,000.

“Guaranteed rent, or rent-to-rent, is becoming more and more common in the private rented sector as it offers a lower barrier to entry into the property market for would-be investors and a guaranteed rent with no hassle for landlords.

“But if the rent to rent arrangement is not carried out diligently, the landlord loses control of what is happening at their property, and this is where problems begin.”

Read a comprehensive guide to avoiding the pitfalls.

Watch the latest episodes of the show here.

©1999 – Present | Parkmatic Publications Ltd. All rights reserved | LandlordZONE® – TONIGHT: Dodgy rent-to-rent operator tackled on on Slum Landlords, Nightmare Tenants at 10pm | LandlordZONE.

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Public Announcement – Applications to join Property Educators Accreditation Scheme (PEAS)

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Date of announcement: 03/11/2021

NOTE: The following applicants have completed the first stage of the process in becoming members of PEAS and are now in their six month probation period. During their probation period, anyone can submit objections or messages in support of their application.

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EXCLUSIVE: Landlord conned by rent-to-rent crook uncovers other victims owed £50k

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A landlord who was defrauded by a serial rogue tenant is helping a family left thousands of pounds out of pocket by the same man.

David Garwood (pictured below) discovered that his former tenant had stung at least four other landlords as well as tenants; his latest rent-to-rent scam pocketed £8,476 from a disabled couple and their daughter when he didn’t pay rent on the house he sub-let them – and they now fear being made homeless.

The case highlights how helpless landlords are when criminal tenants exploit the huge gaps in the law and the UK’s enforcement deficiencies to fleece them and other tenants via illegal rent-to-rent arrangements.

In Garside’s case, the man fraudulently applied for a tenancy on David’s property in Barry Island, Wales (main picture), then only paid the first month’s rent.

David served a Section 8 notice just before the evictions ban but it took a year to get the house back.

He then started attachment of earnings proceedings to try and reclaim the money when a debt tracer confirmed the man had just moved around the corner, David tells LandlordZONE: “I went and happened to meet the landlord who told me the man had paid one month’s rent then nothing else – and it appears he did it to the person before me too.”

One of those landlords now has a County Court Judgement on the man for £12,000 but the combined total owed is at least £50,000, believes David.

“There’s no hope of getting any money back from him as he only seems to get any income from fraudulent endeavours, but prison time is what we want to see,” he adds.

Family left homeless

Hannah Jillett and her mum (pictured with Garwood) and stepdad Jacqueline and Jon found their property on Gumtree after months of searching in vain for a bungalow.

“He assured us we could install a stairlift because my parents can’t manage stairs,” Hannah tells LandlordZONE.

He took 12 months’ rent upfront before it was discovered he had been illegally sub-letting the property and now the couple are stuck sleeping downstairs on sofas. “How can this just be a civil matter when it’s obviously fraud?” asks Hannah.

“It makes me wonder how many hundreds of thousands of pounds you have to con someone out of before the police will do anything,” adds David.

A GoFundMe page has been set up to raise money to help Hannah and her family keep a roof over their heads.

©1999 – Present | Parkmatic Publications Ltd. All rights reserved | LandlordZONE® – EXCLUSIVE: Landlord conned by rent-to-rent crook uncovers other victims owed £50k | LandlordZONE.

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EXCLUSIVE: Landlord defrauded by rent-to-rent crook uncovers other victims owed £50k

admin    Uncategorized     agents

A landlord who was defrauded by a serial rogue tenant is helping a family left thousands of pounds out of pocket by the same man.

David Garwood (pictured below) discovered that his former tenant had stung at least four other landlords as well as tenants; his latest rent-to-rent scam pocketed £8,476 from a disabled couple and their daughter when he didn’t pay rent on the house he sub-let them – and they now fear being made homeless.

The case highlights how helpless landlords are when criminal tenants exploit the huge gaps in the law and the UK’s enforcement deficiencies to fleece them and other tenants via illegal rent-to-rent arrangements.

In Garside’s case, the man fraudulently applied for a tenancy on David’s property in Barry Island, Wales (main picture), then only paid the first month’s rent.

David served a Section 8 notice just before the evictions ban but it took a year to get the house back.

He then started attachment of earnings proceedings to try and reclaim the money when a debt tracer confirmed the man had just moved around the corner, David tells LandlordZONE: “I went and happened to meet the landlord who told me the man had paid one month’s rent then nothing else – and it appears he did it to the person before me too.”

One of those landlords now has a County Court Judgement on the man for £12,000 but the combined total owed is at least £50,000, believes David.

“There’s no hope of getting any money back from him as he only seems to get any income from fraudulent endeavours, but prison time is what we want to see,” he adds.

Family left homeless

Hannah Jillett and her mum (pictured with Garwood) and stepdad Jacqueline and Jon found their property on Gumtree after months of searching in vain for a bungalow.

“He assured us we could install a stairlift because my parents can’t manage stairs,” Hannah tells LandlordZONE.

He took 12 months’ rent upfront before it was discovered he had been illegally sub-letting the property and now the couple are stuck sleeping downstairs on sofas. “How can this just be a civil matter when it’s obviously fraud?” asks Hannah.

“It makes me wonder how many hundreds of thousands of pounds you have to con someone out of before the police will do anything,” adds David.

A GoFundMe page has been set up to raise money to help Hannah and her family keep a roof over their heads.

©1999 – Present | Parkmatic Publications Ltd. All rights reserved | LandlordZONE® – EXCLUSIVE: Landlord defrauded by rent-to-rent crook uncovers other victims owed £50k | LandlordZONE.

View Full Article: EXCLUSIVE: Landlord defrauded by rent-to-rent crook uncovers other victims owed £50k

LATEST: Leicester landlords to face tough new HMO planning controls

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Leicester could see a tough clampdown on new HMOs following a consultation on an Article 4 Direction in the city.

Leicester City Council wants feedback from landlords on plans that would control the number of homes being converted to HMOs across a much larger area.

An Article 4 Direction has already been in place since 2014 in several areas of the city, but the latest proposals will expand, and in some cases join together, those areas to include thousands more buildings in areas with high numbers of HMOs.

The existing direction covers parts of the West End, streets near to De Montfort University’s campus and Leicester Royal Infirmary, numerous streets in the area between New Walk and HMP Leicester, as well as most of Clarendon Park and a section south of Lancaster Road.

The latest proposals would extend the West End zone to stretch from Rowley Fields, to Westcotes, Newfoundpool and parts of the Waterside area, while the Clarendon Park area would be extended to incorporate much of Knighton Fields, Knighton, Stoneygate and part of Aylestone.

A third new area would include much of Spinney Hills and Highfields.

Leicester City mayor Peter Soulsby (pictured) says that so far, its legislation has been focused on areas where high numbers of HMOs risk having a real impact on the rest of the community, to protect them from becoming saturated.

He adds: “Over the last seven years, areas of concentration have expanded, with higher numbers of HMOs appearing beyond the original areas. It is therefore important that this legislation is available to us to prevent unrestricted numbers of HMOs from appearing elsewhere in the city.”

The consultation runs from 18^th November until 13^th January and if the proposals get the go-ahead, the extended Article 4 Direction would be in place 12 months later.

In January last year neighbouring Midlands city Birmingham brought in similar HMO controls.

©1999 – Present | Parkmatic Publications Ltd. All rights reserved | LandlordZONE® – LATEST: Leicester landlords to face tough new HMO planning controls | LandlordZONE.

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