‘Broken’ evictions system revealed by landlord’s £100k repossession

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A despairing landlord has finally managed to evict a rogue tenant who managed to disrupt the court process by more than a year after claiming he had Covid four times.

He’s now more than £100,000 out of pocket after the man racked up £83,000 in rent arrears and has paid out at least £20,000 in legal fees.

But the landlord, from Saundersfoot in Wales, is just grateful to finally have his property back, despite now being forced to completely gut it before it’s liveable.

“It has been a nightmare as he kept playing the Covid card,” the landlord tells LandlordZONE, who wishes to remain anonymous.

“I’m taking him to court to claim back the arrears but I don’t expect I’ll be successful in recovering the monies outstanding from both him and his wife when judgement is granted.”

He adds: “I’m lucky that I have other properties – if that was my only one I would have lost my house because of all this.”

The landlord issued a Section 21 after his tenant started getting into arrears in 2017 before stopping paying completely in 2019.

Granted possession

He was first granted possession last November and given an eviction date in December, but the tenant appealed on different grounds and the case was dismissed three times.

Bailiffs were finally arranged for the end of July, but this time the tenant informed them he couldn’t move out because he had Covid.

Another date in August was set but the tenant told bailiffs his wife had Covid – despite the fact that she had moved out months before.

But, as she was named on the warrant, they couldn’t go ahead. The tenant then announced he had Covid again.

“The warrant officer told him that he had to do a test and that if it was negative he needed to move out within days, and if it was positive, she would set a date in 14 days’ time,” he says.

After trying to get the case thrown out yet again due to Covid symptoms last month, a judge finally granted the warrant and the tenant has now gone.

“I take tenants on face value and should have done a credit check,” the landlord admits. “But I’m really frustrated that he was able to exploit Covid for as long as he did, which dragged the case on much longer.”

Find out more about evictions.

©1999 – Present | Parkmatic Publications Ltd. All rights reserved | LandlordZONE® – ‘Broken’ evictions system revealed by landlord’s £100k repossession | LandlordZONE.

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Recent three-month downward trend in annual growth reversed

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The latest Halifax House price index has indicated annual house price inflation has increased from last month to 7.4%, up from 7.2% with the average UK property price now at a record £267,587. Wales and Scotland have continued to outperform the UK average

Russell Galley

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RAISE landlord cost cap for eco upgrades to £10,000, urges London Assembly

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London Assembly’s housing committee has called on the government to raise the cost cap of upgrading rented properties for landlords to £10,000.

Under Domestic Minimum Energy Efficiency Standard (MEES) Regulations, landlords currently don’t have to spend more than £3,500 (including VAT) on energy efficiency improvements.

A government consultation earlier this year also suggested increasing the maximum investment amount, resulting in an average per property spend of £4,700 under a £10,000 cap.

The committee has investigated retrofitting challenges in London and made recommendations to Housing Secretary Michael Gove as well as mayor Sadiq Khan, who has an ambitious target to make the capital a zero carbon city by 2030.

It believes Khan should bring together private sector landlords and tenants to look at barriers to retrofit and how government or local government could overcome them.

Cladding

It has also suggested that the government needs to ensure London gets a fair share of all retrofit funding or sufficient powers to raise finance itself – and wants the mayor to lobby for this – and to make sure that cladding remediation work can be carried out alongside retrofitting.

Chair of the London Assembly committee, Sian Berry, (pictured) says it can’t ignore London’s 3.5 million existing homes which account for a third of the city’s greenhouse gas emissions alone.

“The government must commit either to fully funding London’s ambition for zero carbon homes or giving us the powers to raise our own finance. In turn, the mayor must work with private sector landlords and tenants to find and overcome any barriers to retrofitting,” she adds.

“The world is in a race against time to fight climate change, and action on existing homes can no longer be put off or tackled without proper commitment from our leaders.”

Read more about eco upgrade funding.

©1999 – Present | Parkmatic Publications Ltd. All rights reserved | LandlordZONE® – RAISE landlord cost cap for eco upgrades to £10,000, urges London Assembly | LandlordZONE.

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‘Short lets needs better standards and quality controls’ say leading provider

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The short-lets sector needs better standards and quality controls, according to one of its big players.

Host & Stay, which manages more than 500 properties across North Yorkshire, the Yorkshire Dales, Northumberland, the North East and South Wales, has joined the UK Short Term Accommodation Association (STAA) in a bid to help make these improvements.

It follows criticism of the sector by some local councils and MPs after many traditional landlords, particularly in the South West, switched to short-lets during the staycation boom.

It was recently reported that Devon has seen a staggering 70% drop in private rented properties over the last two years as a result.

Responsible

Host & Stay director Dale Smith (main pic) explains: “We believe the short-let industry needs better standards and quality controls.

“We want to be part of those improvements and feel that the STAA is well positioned to support the growth of the sector in a responsible manner and is the association that really understands how the industry is changing and is best aligned to where the industry is actually heading.”

STAA chair Merilee Karr (pictured) says during the last 18 months, membership has grown considerably and that the trade body is in a very strong position to work with members to initiate industry change and drive responsible growth.

She adds: “Our reputation for collaboration with local authorities, government and other associations is well known.”

Host & Stay provides an end-to-end service for holiday home owners, offering customers a full package of services including finding the right properties to buy, providing interior design packages, professional photography, marketing, booking generation, maintenance, housekeeping and a full laundry and linen service.

©1999 – Present | Parkmatic Publications Ltd. All rights reserved | LandlordZONE® – ‘Short lets needs better standards and quality controls’ say leading provider | LandlordZONE.

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End 5 week UC wait and pay housing element directly to landlords

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Today the Government will go ahead with a planned cut to Universal Credit of £20 per week. The level of welfare support had been increased in light of the impact of the pandemic on household incomes.

With rent arrears at historically high levels

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Nationwide launches platform to help landlords manage their properties and finances

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High Street lender the Nationwide has launched a platform that will be first of its kind created for landlords by a major financial institution.

Called The Landlord Works, it has been developed by a team headed up by Paul Wooton (main picture) who, after leaving its mortgage broker business, has spent the past two years developing the platform as its Director of Home Propositions, he tells LandlordZONE.

The platform is free for landlords regardless of whether they are Nationwide customers or not and enables them to manage, develop and monitor their property or portfolios from their laptops or smartphones.

This includes the ability to list their properties, track renewal dates for compliance paperwork such as gas safe certificates, EPCs and electrical checks. But it also helps landlords keep tabs on their portfolio expenses, revenue and profits/loss, manage right to rent checks and compile their tax returns.

Advice and support

Wooton says the platform is more than just a useful tool, but also part of the mutual society’s attempts to improve the private rental market by helping existing landlords maintain best practice and newbies understand their responsibilities.

The Nationwide also operates arms-length foundation that has funded several pro-tenant lobbying groups including Generation Rent and Shelter which, it says, is part of a wider attempt to improve the private rented sector.

The Landlord Works will offer advice and guidance on best practice for landlords and aims to help them be aware of and comply with the myriad regulations and laws that now cover the sector.

Wooton says there will be more developments to reveal at a later date, which may include offering member landlords exclusive mortgage deals via its broker and landlord mortgage platform The Mortgage Works.

©1999 – Present | Parkmatic Publications Ltd. All rights reserved | LandlordZONE® – Nationwide launches platform to help landlords manage their properties and finances | LandlordZONE.

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Students and sustainable accommodation

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Recent research from accommodationforstudents.com shows that students are increasingly looking for more sustainable accommodation.

In fact, sustainability and the environment are important factors when making purchasing decisions generally. Students weigh sustainability 7.6 (out of 10) for importance when making a purchase, with a highly motivated 25% of respondents scoring it 10. At the other end of the scale just 8% of students are not making any effort to live more sustainable lives.

Accommodation choices

Students give slightly less priority to sustainability considerations when selecting accommodation (7.1 from 10). However, over half scored 8 or more and the majority of students would like to live with other students who take the issue seriously – they like the idea of environmentally friendly housemates. Longer term, 83% told us they anticipated environmental factors becoming more important.

Price, location and bills

Of those that did not consider sustainability to be relevant when choosing accommodation, the majority indicated this was because they considered price and location to be much more important factors.

In addition, 27% simply did not know which factors to take into consideration. A good illustration of this knowledge gap is that 25% did not know what an EPC certificate was and 34% did not know if the energy they used was from renewable sources.

Understanding energy sources and usage is particularly key, given the rise in importance of bills inclusive rents in student accommodation.

Is the lack of a monthly bill a problem?

While a bills inclusive offering is important to attract students, it could come at a cost to the environment. The lack of a monthly bill may encourage tenants to leave the heating on for longer than necessary, which has an impact on both the environment and costs. There is a clear advantage here to encouraging more sustainable behaviour, as it benefits both the pocket and the environment.

88% would choose sustainable accommodation

Our research shows that the vast majority would opt for the more sustainable option if all other factors were equal. In fact, 38% would actually be prepared to pay more and only 30% would definitely not.

66% of students felt that landlords had an important role to play, with 95% of the opinion that it would be a good idea for landlords, letting agents and other property managers to provide advice on how to reduce their environmental impact in student accommodation.

Making a difference

There does seem to be a clear convergence of trends, with students more interested in sustainability, while at the same time looking to landlords for advice. There is also an environmental and commercial ‘pay-off’ for landlords. It is certainly a trend accommodationforstudents.com (AFS) will continue to track and seek to address. In addition to planting a tree for every property advertised, AFS have launched a campaign that can be used by landlords to encourage more sustainable behaviour from their student tenants. This will be just the start of a long term strategy to address this important trend.

©1999 – Present | Parkmatic Publications Ltd. All rights reserved | LandlordZONE® – Students and sustainable accommodation | LandlordZONE.

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Tenancy Agreements – Agents v Landlords?

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For the majority of my properties I use my own Tenancy Agreement (TA), established over time with updates as and when (mostly when issues have occurred with a previous tenant and to stop the potential for similar things happening again).

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How can iHeat make boiler replacement easier for landlords?

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We understand that a landlord’s job is important. As well as the day-to-day tasks, you must ensure your properties are safe and comfortable for you tenants and that their appliances are working safely and properly, including the boiler. 

While boilers are often almost invisible to tenants, they’re one of the most important pieces of equipment in the home, keeping your tenants warm and comfortable. As a landlord, you’re legally responsible for ensuring your tenant’s boiler is working properly, which means you must arrange and cover the cost of any boiler repairs or replacements, a process which can be stressful and costly.

Fortunately, at iHeat, we have the solution for you to make replacing a boiler simpler and more affordable.

How can iHeat make boiler replacement easier?

No Need for a Home Survey Visit

Perhaps one of the most stressful parts about arranging a boiler replacement for your property is arranging to have an engineer come out and conduct a survey to get a quote. This is especially true if your tenants like to be difficult.

Fortunately, with iHeat, you can get a free, fixed boiler quote online in less than a minute by answering a few simple questions about your property and choosing from our wide range of boilers. In fact, you can order a new boiler with us from anywhere in the world, so if your tenant’s boiler breaks down whilst you’re away on holiday or out of the country, there’s no need to panic.

This also means there’s no need to arrange an engineer callout as you can upload images of your property online, saving you plenty of time and money.

Fast turnaround 

As a landlord, you must carry out repairs within a ‘reasonable time’, under Section 11 of the Landlord and Tenant Act. If deemed an emergency, you must aim to get it fixed within 24 hours. Thankfully, with iHeat, you can have a boiler installed and as soon as 24 hours after ordering, delivering an incredibly fast turnaround and keeping your tenant happy. 

Incredible warranties

With iHeat, you can get a fantastic ten year warranty on parts and labour with a new boiler, ensuring you are protected for a long time, allowing you and your tenants to rest easy. We’ll even automatically register your warranty too, so you don’t have to move a muscle.

Annual service reminders

Landlords are also legally required to arrange annual boiler services to make sure the heating system is working safely. Not to mention, most insurance policies and warranties become invalid if you fail to arrange an annual service by a Gas Safe registered engineer.

That’s why iHeat will send you an annual reminder closer to the time, allowing you to book in with one of our Gas Safe engineers. 

We’re here to help

If you ever have any questions or are experiencing any issues, please don’t hesitate to get in touch with a member of the team by giving us a call or messaging us via live chat and our expert engineers will be happy to help. 

You can get in touch with us between 8am and 7pm Monday to Thursday, 8am to 5pm on a Friday and 10am to 2pm on Saturday.

We work with tenants

Are you tired of your tenants calling you up every time they experience a slight issue with their boiler? Send them on over to us! We’re more than happy to get into direct contact with tenants and answer any questions they may have, giving them a personal point of contact instead of directing all of their questions to you.

We can also request the relevant images from your tenants by forwarding the link, saving you the job of constantly chasing them up.

Fixed prices

With iHeat, the price you see is the price you pay, so long as you have provided the correct information. The quote includes the cost of everything including:

The boiler

• Installation
• Pipeworks,
• Flue kit
• Wireless Controls
• Chemical flush
• Disposal of old boiler
• We’ll even upgrade your gas pipe for free if it’s needed

Get a free, fixed quote on a brand new A-rated efficient boiler today and check out our fantastic range of Viessmann, Worcester Bosch, Ideal and Alpha boilers.

©1999 – Present | Parkmatic Publications Ltd. All rights reserved | LandlordZONE® – How can iHeat make boiler replacement easier for landlords? | LandlordZONE.

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EPCs: Council in spotlight over ‘one rule landlords, another for its own properties’

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A local council that introduced fines to catch out negligent private landlords renting sub-standard homes has been hauled up for doing the same thing.

Legislation adopted by South Derbyshire District Council in 2019 means its landlords can be fined up to £5,000 per property if they rent energy inefficient homes rated below E.

However, a sample survey of 700 council homes in South Derbyshire, carried out by Nottingham City Council, found two homes rated F. Derbyshire Live reports that if this was replicated throughout all 3,000 of the council’s homes, it could total 12 homes which landlords would not be allowed to rent.

The research also found a third of homes were rated below C and needed a wide range of upgrades.

Three of the homes assessed had no insulation. +The finding is another example of a council being quick to penalise transgressions while not always practicing what it preaches; earlier this year, Croydon Council was rumbled for allowing appalling housing conditions endured by council tenants in South Norwood go unrepaired for four years.

Domestic properties

The Energy Efficiency (Private Rented Property) (England and Wales) Regulations 2015 only relate to domestic private rented properties, which means councils like Derbyshire can continue renting council homes which are extremely energy inefficient and would land a private landlord with a fine, unless they had a valid exemption.

Paul Whittingham, the council’s head of housing, told councillors at a recent meeting that all the homes in question were already fitted with double glazing and top-grade boilers.

He said the houses might need fully replacing to give them the drastic energy efficiency improvements required. “They are at the end of their life, so for some this is a replacement programme,” added Whittingham.

The district council says the average cost per property to get them to an energy efficiency rating of C is £15,000.

©1999 – Present | Parkmatic Publications Ltd. All rights reserved | LandlordZONE® – EPCs: Council in spotlight over ‘one rule landlords, another for its own properties’ | LandlordZONE.

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