No more tenant chasing? Free platform aims to make HMOs a ‘passive investment’

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A radical HMO management platform and home finding site has been launched to let landlords self-manage properties automatically without using letting agents.

Developed by proptech company COHO (Company for Life Ltd), it aims to shake up the lettings market using artificial intelligence to minimise vacancies and connect compatible tenants.

Founder and CEO Vann Vogstad explains that it’s an assistant not a database which, instead of warning a landlord when an action needs doing, can notify them when it’s been done.

“When the gas safety certificate is due for renewal, the system will connect with the required supplier and the supplier will then connect with the tenants and say, ‘we need to arrange a visit within the next three days’,” he says. “The landlord doesn’t need to be involved.”

Rent collection

More than 20 services, such as maintenance and rent collection, can be dealt with online; the system reports when the rent has been paid and if it hasn’t, will chase payment and offer advice if people are struggling to pay.

“Even when a tenant hands in their notice, the system can automatically handle all of the end-of-tenancy processes such as deposit and inventory, and automatically relist the vacant room,” adds Vogstad.

“Viewing appointments then go through to the remaining tenants and when a good match is found, the process starts all over again with the automated issuing and exchanging of contracts.”

A tenant looking for a room signs up to COHO and creates a brief profile outlining their age range, interests and profession. The platform can then match them with properties whose existing tenants are likely to be compatible.

COHO is free to use to manage the first 10 units (rooms) and then charges £1 for each unit. “The end-game is a system which enables HMOs to be a passive investment,” says Vann. “At the moment, unless you’re paying for someone to manage it, this is impossible, but it needn’t be.”

Read more about HMOs

©1999 – Present | Parkmatic Publications Ltd. All rights reserved | LandlordZONE® – No more tenant chasing? Free platform aims to make HMOs a ‘passive investment’ | LandlordZONE.

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Landlords accuse Khan of scaremongering following evictions ‘tsunami’ remarks

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The National Residential Landlords Association (NRLA) has accused Mayor of London Sadiq Khan of scaremongering after he claimed that up to a quarter of tenants are in arrears and at risk of eviction.

With the courts due to start hearing possession cases from 24^th August, it has written to the mayor calling for an end to rhetoric and greater collaboration between him and private landlords.

This week, Khan warned that the capital faced a “devastating tsunami of evictions”, pointing to research which estimates a quarter of London’s 2.2 million privately renting adults have fallen behind on their rent, or say they are likely to do so soon. He says this equates to half a million people potentially facing eviction and is calling for an extension of the evictions ban.

However, the NRLA believes there’s no evidence to justify these claims and says its recent poll shows that 95% of tenants in London are either paying their rent in full or have reached an arrangement with their landlord to avoid arrears.

It says new rules being introduced will mean courts can adjourn possession cases where landlords have failed to demonstrate that they have fully taken account of the impact that the pandemic might have had on their tenants before seeking possession.

NRLA chief executive Ben Beadle says: “It is not in anyone’s interests to cause unnecessary anxiety for tenants through making wild predictions about people losing their home.

“With new court rules in place, it will be in the interests of landlords to do everything they can to sustain tenancies where possible. It is that spirit of co-operation that we need to build upon.”

It has urged Khan to support a targeted financial package for tenants to clear rent arrears caused as a direct result of COVID-19. This would enable them to feel secure while sustaining landlords’ rental income.

Read more about Khan’s rental market campaign.

©1999 – Present | Parkmatic Publications Ltd. All rights reserved | LandlordZONE® – Landlords accuse Khan of scaremongering following evictions ‘tsunami’ remarks | LandlordZONE.

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LATEST: Private landlords now making majority of possession claims

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Figures just out from the Ministry of Justice (MoJ) reveal that private landlords have become the most common instigators of possession claims against tenants, turning the usual ratio on its head.

During the lockdown months (April to June) a minority (27% or 823) of all landlord possession claims were social landlords while the group making up the largest proportion (44% or 1,317) were private.

This contrasts with previous quarters. During April to June 2019, the majority(58% or 15,581) of all landlord possession claims were social landlords, and accelerated claims and private landlord claims made up just 19% and 23% of all landlord claims respectively.

During these three months the totals were 2,022 claims, 658 orders and 268 warrants were made, although these cannot be progressed to bailiff repossessions at this time.

Standstill

Despite these figures, nevertheless they show that possession activity had come to a complete standstill by June; during the preceding three months landlord possession claims, orders and warrants, when compared to the same three months last year, plummeted by 97%, 96% and almost 100% respectively.

And no repossessions by county court bailiffs have been recorded for this quarter. But the MoJ says that despite the huge declines in evictions activity during the Covid lockdown, property possession actions across all types (mortgage and landlord repossessions) had already been falling since the beginning of 2020.

Read more about the evictions ban.

Read the possessions data in full.

©1999 – Present | Parkmatic Publications Ltd. All rights reserved | LandlordZONE® – LATEST: Private landlords now making majority of possession claims | LandlordZONE.

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SAL dismayed by Nicola Sturgeons eviction ban announcement

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The Scottish Association of Landlords (SAL) said they were dismayed by Nicola Sturgeon’s announcement that she wished to extend the tenant eviction ban until the end of March 2021 despite this having to first be passed through the Scottish Parliament.

The post SAL dismayed by Nicola Sturgeons eviction ban announcement appeared first on Property118.

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Green Homes Grant disappointment?

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The Green Homes Grant is a useless scheme for landlords.

1. It appears that tenants on benefits cannot apply for improvements to their rented properties.
2. It does not include upgrading boilers.
3. The Primary category is a financially unviable barrier to accessing the Secondary category.

The post Green Homes Grant disappointment? appeared first on Property118.

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Yes, landlords can stop (or at least delay) Selective Licensing schemes

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Landlords in Luton who threatened to hold up the launch of the town’s new selective licensing scheme look to have won a reprieve.

Due to be introduced on 1^st August, many landlords believe the proposed five-year scheme is unnecessary and suggested launching a judicial review, however, the local council has now admitted that an error in its report has put the brakes on.

Luton Council hoped to crack down on rogue landlords in five wards: Biscot and Dallow, as well as parts of Farley, South, and High Town.

Frustrations were already growing after the scheme was previously delayed for more than three months due to Covid, while plans to bring all its HMOs into the planning system via an Article 4 direction have failed to materialise for nearly a year.

A council spokesman tells LandlordZONE: “The decision not to go ahead and implement at this stage is based on an error made in the figures set out in the original report.

“We are still keen to continue to work with landlords in our work to help drive up standards in privately rented accommodation in the town and will be undertaking a further review to gauge the current need for/scope of any new licensing scheme.”

Local councillors says poorly-operated HMOs are one of the major issues facing the town as more family homes are converted, damaging its character and putting off potential investors and employers.

Councillor David Franks says although the scheme will go some way towards improving the quality of HMOs, it won’t reduce the numbers coming forward.

©1999 – Present | Parkmatic Publications Ltd. All rights reserved | LandlordZONE® – Yes, landlords can stop (or at least delay) Selective Licensing schemes | LandlordZONE.

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Hackers target property listing websites

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The scammer’s ultimate aim is to gain access to portals such as Zoopla, to place false rental property adds and obtain deposit monies from unsuspecting would-be tenants.

The scammers use the fraudulently obtained agent’s usernames and passwords to place the fake listings, with instructions for interested tenants to get in touch via an email address from which deposit monies are sought.

One such portal successfully targeted has been Lettingweb, a Scotland based portal which lists agent’s properties and also places its agent’s listings on the big national portals including Zoopla.

Lettingweb has published an incident report showing that the data breach originated from one of its client agents whose username and password had been fraudulently obtained by the hackers through a phishing email.

These phishing emails are very subtle and can easily fool someone in the agency, especially when many of the staff members have access to portals using the full login details; it only takes a second’s lack of attention to get taken in by these clever fraudsters.

This incident should remind agents across the country that staff training on the secure use of usernames and passwords is of paramount importance to prevent these types of data breaches. One simple precaution is to have a two-person staff login: one staff member knows only the username and is sworn to secrecy and likewise the other member only knows the password. Inconvenient at times yes, but it prevents any one member of staff inadvertently giving away full access to the property listing portals.

The current data breach came to light after several Edinburgh tenants searching online for suitable accommodation were coming across a spate of ‘fake flat’ scams on property websites including Zoopla and reported them.

Teacher Elly Darragh told the news website Edinburgh Live last week that she found several fake rental property postings on Zoopla under the banners of legitimate estate agents. Fortunately Elly realised that there was a scam just in time. But she was very nearly fleeced by sending a despot of hundreds of pounds for a very convincing advertisement for a deluxe flat on Edinburgh’s Lindsay Road, supposedly listed by a legitimate Aberdeen estate agent.

The upmarket flat had found its way onto the Zoopla portal under the banner of this reputable agency and understandably the teacher seeking the accommodation was keen to proceed and thought that it was safe to secure the flat by sending off her deposit payment.

Since the details of this “near-miss” incident were reported on the Edinburgh Live news websitea number of other would-be tenant readers have come forwardto report similar scamsthat they came across. These were from this same agent along with other agents, which means the scam is more widespread than first thought.

Lettingweb.com is an aggregator service used by estate agents to relay their property placings across multiple property portal websites the likes Zoopla, Prime Location and Trovit, all at one go.

Zoopla, an Aberdeen estate agent and Lettingweb have admitted there has been a data breach but both Zoopla and Lettingweb have denied that they had suffered any breach themselves, Zoopla stating:

“We’re aware that fraudsters are targeting agents with phishing emails. They do this in an effort to get agents to share their login details so they can then upload properties. We work hard to prevent this and regularly share with agents advice on how to keep their businesses secure.”

©1999 – Present | Parkmatic Publications Ltd. All rights reserved | LandlordZONE® – Hackers target property listing websites | LandlordZONE.

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24th August: Campaign group promises London-wide protests day after evictions ban ends

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London Renters Union is planning protests outside county courts across the capital on 24^th August – the day after the evictions ban ends in England.

The protest group wants members to join the day of action, when they’ll urge the Government to cancel rent debt and make the eviction ban permanent.

Since the crisis started, it claims membership has doubled, with more than 4,000 people joining its Can’t Pay Won’t Pay campaign, where renters pledge to prioritise essential spending instead of paying rent.

London Renters Union says: “The eviction ban will end and courts will reopen to hear possession claims on 24^th August, that could leave 100,000 renters homeless.

No fault evictions

“The Government committed to ending no fault evictions over a year ago – our Covid rent arrears are not our fault. We won’t let the Government’s plans go unchallenged – we have to stand up for ourselves as renters, to protect each other, and to stop evictions.”

The union promises to make the protest Covid-safe, with social distancing stewards, protective equipment and safety briefings.

But it’s calling on more reticent members who can’t join in person to put up ‘banners of resistance’ near their homes, along with posters in their windows and to send in stories of their difficulty paying rent which will be read out at the court protests.

It adds: “The Government’s recklessness means our communities who have lost income due to Covid will be at risk of eviction and the health risks of homelessness during a pandemic. Half a million renters are in rent debt – even before the end of the furlough scheme. The Government is abandoning renters. We can’t let this happen unopposed.”

©1999 – Present | Parkmatic Publications Ltd. All rights reserved | LandlordZONE® – 24th August: Campaign group promises London-wide protests day after evictions ban ends | LandlordZONE.

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New evictions ban will just ‘push critical problem into the future’ say Scottish landlords

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Yesterday’s announcement by Scotland’s First Minister Nicola Sturgeon that her government intends to extend the country’s evictions ban by six months to the end of March 2021 has been met with dismay by the Scottish Association of Landlords (SAL).

Its Chief Executive, John Blackwood, tells LandlordZONE that although many campaigning groups have welcomed the premature announcement by Sturgeon, the Scottish Parliament has yet to debate and agree this position.

“Extending the emergency measures on evictions will only push a critical problem in to the future when it needs to be tackled head-on now,” he says.

“What we need to focus on is how we can sustain tenancies during the crisis. Landlords should continue to be flexible and understanding and tenants should ensure that their landlord is kept informed about changes to allow for reasonable solutions to be found. 

“In order to address the root of the problem, the government must provide support for tenants affected by the pandemic to pay their rent. 

“Other administrations such as the Welsh Assembly Government are looking at imaginative ways to put money in to tenants pockets for rent and we believe the Scottish Government should follow suit as quickly as possible to prevent the collapse of a vital part of the housing sector.”

LandlordZONE readers can watch and ask question during a webinar due to feature Blackwood on 20^th August.

He will be appearing with several other leading figures from the private rental market sector who will discuss – among many other things – the different approaches to Covid and evictions by politicians around the UK.

©1999 – Present | Parkmatic Publications Ltd. All rights reserved | LandlordZONE® – New evictions ban will just ‘push critical problem into the future’ say Scottish landlords | LandlordZONE.

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LATEST: Are airport e-gates are making Right-to-Rent check more difficult, asks watchdog

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The independent chief inspector of borders and immigration, David Bolt, has asked landlords to let him know if the new virtual way of ‘stamping’ passports is making their attempts to establish tenants’ right to rent a home in the UK more difficult.

This follows the Home Office decision to allow people from some countries to use its ePassport gates, now ubiquitous in airports, to enter the UK, rather than having their passports stamped.

Bolt is looking at five areas of immigration operations – asylum casework, the settled-status scheme, adults at risk in detention; UK Visas and Immigration’s front-end services; and e-gates.

“I am about to begin an inspection of the Home Office’s use of ePassport Gates and would like to invite anyone with relevant knowledge and experience to write to me with their evidence,” he says.

“In recent years, the use by Border Force of ePassport Gates to manage arriving international passengers has increased.

“The gates use technology to authenticate e-passports and to link the passenger to the travel document through a facial biometric comparison and have become a key component of Border Force’s strategy for managing the UK border efficiently and effectively.”

But campaigners say that because ‘B5JSSK nationals’ arriving to live in the UK no longer have to have their passports stamped and use the e-gates instead, landlords face problems establishing their Right-to-Rent status when they apply for a tenancy.

These are people from Australia, Canada, Japan, New Zealand, Singapore, South Korea and the US.

Landlords wishing to make their views knows should email them to Bolt at: epassportgates@icibi.gov.uk

©1999 – Present | Parkmatic Publications Ltd. All rights reserved | LandlordZONE® – LATEST: Are airport e-gates are making Right-to-Rent check more difficult, asks watchdog | LandlordZONE.

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