Can we save you money on Block of Flats insurance?

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IF you own or manage a block of flats, then let us price check your buildings insurance for you in under 5-minutes.

Many block of flat owners and management companies stay with their existing providers for years and may not be paying a competitive rate.

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National Landlords Alliance meets Sefton Council

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Wednesday 1st May, a delegation from the National Landlords Alliance held a meeting with Sefton council. The Alliance delegation consisted of Larry Sweeney, Councillor John Bullock National chair of the Alliance and Policy director John Allen. Sefton had officers from their licensing department

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Students claw-back rent from unlicensed landlord

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Rent Refund:

Students from the
University of Leeds took their landlord to court and won back 12 months’ rent.
They won the rent refund because their landlord had failed to license the HMO –
House in Multiple Occupation.

Delighted postgraduate student Ben Leonard and his
co-tenants discovered that the landlord was letting the property illegally,
because it did not have a current HMO licence. It seems that their landlord did
apply to Leeds City Council for a licence, but only when the tenancy was
half-way through.

New HMO rules came into force effective 1 October 2018 on
mandatory HMO licensing. This means that mandatory licensing has now been
extended to cover most Houses in Multiple
Occupation (HMOs) occupied by five or more non-related people where there is
some sharing of facilities. The rules may vary slightly from authority to
authority but now affect properties with any number of stories, not just 3-storey
properties as before.

There are also new minimum bedroom sizes of 6.52 square
metres for one person, and 10.23 square metres for two people. The measurement
of these rooms cannot include areas where the ceiling is below 1.5 metres in
height.

Landlords must show that they are a “fit and proper person�
to be a landlord, that is free from any criminal record, and the property must
meet exacting safety standards, with regular safety inspections.

Landlords who don’t have a current HMO licence face fines of
up to £30,000, and they can be forced to repay up to 12 months of rent to their
tenants. This is done through what is known as a rent repayment order (RRO)
instigated by the tenants. This was the case with Mr Leonard’s landlord.

When Mr Leonard reported the matter to Leeds City Council,
the housing officer on the case informed him that the Council was taking court action
against the landlord and he explained that they (all the tenants) were entitled
to seek an RRO.

Having made their application, the tenants were obliged to
provide evidence of their rent payments using bank statements and their tenancy
agreement. To their delight, the evidence was accepted and the landlord was
taken to court. He pleaded guilty and, after all bills were deducted, including
an amount due to the landlord’s financial position, each tenant could reclaim around
£2,000.

Following publicity received after winning their case, Mr Leonard
told the BBC that he had received an “incredible� response on Twitter about the
case. He said he had been inundated with messages from other HMO tenants who thought
they may be in a similar position and that their landlords might have cases to
answer.

The “screw� is gradually being tightened on the rogue
landlord, which goes to emphasise the vital importance of following the rules when
letting residential property.    

Rent
Repayment Order – Leeds City Council

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Brentwood Seminar is approaching and we would love you to be there

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Our Property Investment Seminar in Brentwood is only 1 week away and it is not too late to book your place.

Fast facts about the event –

Location: Marygreen Manor Hotel
Time: 6:15pm arrival, 6:30pm start
Venue: Marygreen Manor Hotel (60+ free parking spaces)

Marygreen Manor Hotel

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New launch of 2 bed houses from only £96,500!

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A fantastic opportunity to purchase 2 bed, new build houses in the centre of St Helens near Liverpool, with prices from only £96,500. We are also delighted to have secured these lovely properties, with an amazing discount of 12.5% off list prices.

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Be a guest of Mark Smith (Barrister-At-Law) – Eastbourne

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Our Hon. Legal Counsel, Mark Smith, Head of Chambers at Cotswold Barristers will be presenting an overview of several landlords tax strategies at the pin Eastbourne Meeting property networking event Wednesday 8th May 2019.

The event will start at 6:00pm until 9:00pm and will be free for guests of Mark Smith that have not previously attended a pin meeting.

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Judge Throws Out Section 21 Bizarrely?

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I served Section 21 on 14th September 2018 as I needed possession of the property. The tenant was in Periodic Tenancy as the original tenancy was signed on 15/05/2014 and expired on 14/05/2015. The purpose of highlighting these dates is to exhibit that Tenancy Pre-dates Deregulation Act October 2015.

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Scottish Government announces £30m rental property investment

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Private Renting:

The Scottish Government is ready to use taxpayer’s money to
fund institutional investors in a bid to boost the supply of rental housing.

The Government is funding the development of some 1,800
private rental properties across Scotland though its financial support for corporate
investment fund – Sigma.

The Sigma Capital Group claims to be a leading UK provider
of family Private Rented Sector (PRS) housing and the proposed injection of
£30m of taxpayers’ money will be added to Sigma’s development fund of £43m earmarked
for the PRS.

Pending the establishment of Scotland’s first nationalised bank, “The Scottish National Investment Bank“, the money will be provided through the Building Scotland Fund, a fund set-up last year to provide development loans to boost housing supply at commercial rates.

Communities Secretary Aileen Campbell has said:

“We want people to have the security to make that house
their home.

“Renting accommodation is becoming a long-term option for
many people, at many stages of life, for example when starting a family or when
retiring.

“We want everyone who rents to be able to live in a house
that suits their needs and in an area where they want to live, including near
family, friends or schools.

“We want people to have the security to make that house
their home – whether they are looking for a house for three years or 30 years.�

“The Private Residential Tenancy already offers greater
security for tenants, balanced with appropriate safeguards for landlords and
investors.

“These additional new properties to the sector can give
people long-term security and the confidence they are renting from an
experienced, professional management company.

“The additional long-term stability these properties provide
will make a huge difference for many households, especially those wanting to
create a family home and settle into a community.�

“That is your SNP government – building a fairer Scotland
for the next generation,” she had said.

Graham Barnet, Sigma chief executive, has said:

“We are delighted to have the support of the Scottish Government’s
Building Scotland Fund.

“Our approach to housing delivery has been working extremely
well in England and is helping to deliver thousands of new houses for the
private rental market.

“We see significant demand for our high-quality,
professionally managed homes in Scotland and look forward to using this new
fund to assist in addressing Scotland’s housing needs.

“We are also continuing to explore other opportunities to
extend our business model.�

In addition to the rental fund, First Minister Nicola
Sturgeon’s commented at the SNP conference in Edinburgh this week that a £150
million scheme would be set-up to provide loans to help first-time buyers with
deposits up to £25,000 to fund or top up their deposits.

©1999 – Present | Parkmatic Publications Ltd. All rights reserved | LandlordZONE® – Scottish Government announces £30m rental property investment | LandlordZONE.

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Money Issues affect both landlords and tenants

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Rent Payment:

GDP growth is the most widely used indicator of the county’s economic performance, but it may not give an accurate picture nationally of people’s economic well-being, especially in the short term.

There are more than 8m people in the UK struggling with some degree of hardship and problem debt.

Though problem debt is primarily an issue for low earners and those with few assets to their name, it also affects those on larger incomes. Its ramifications are felt by many: landlords, with the resulting rent arrears problems, just as much as family and relationship strains felt by their tenants.

An ageing population and a shift towards becoming a parent
later in life means that an ever-increasing number of people are struggling to
balance work and caring duties, sacrificing their wellbeing, their finances and
their time to look after those around them.

The rising cost of living and asset prices and difficulty getting on the housing ladder also means that children are often dependent on their parents for longer.

There are 3.4 million 20 to 34-year-olds in the UK who are
still living with their parents, an increase of 25% over the last two decades,
according to Office for National Statistics data.

A recent survey* conducted by YouGov on behalf of Aviva targeted one particular group, a group that has
increasingly become renters, the “sandwich generation.�

Nearly 1 in 4 of the estimated 4 million in the sandwich
generation (a generation of people who care for their aging parents while
supporting their own children) are struggling to pay their rent due to their
caring duties

• 24% of
  sandwich carers say their caring duties are affecting their ability to pay
  their rent
• More
  than 1 in 7 (15%) sandwich carers admit their caring duties are affecting their
  ability to pay their mortgage
• Nearly a
  third (32%) of sandwich carers wouldn’t be able to afford an unexpected expense
  of £500 or would need to go into debt.
• Almost half of those in the sandwich generation
  have four hours or less for themselves each week – less than 35 minutes a day.
• Around one third of time-poor ‘sandwich
  generation’ adults feel that caring duties have negatively impacted their
  mental health and quality of life.

Interestingly, the percentage of those who think their
caring responsibilities are affecting their ability to pay their rent was found
to be higher in men (32%) than in women (19%), says Aviva.

Not surprisingly, caring duties were also found to affect
many survey respondents who have a mortgage. According to the survey, more than 1 in 7 sandwich carers (15%) is
having difficulty paying their mortgage due to their caring responsibilities.

Most people in these groups said they would have difficulty putting
their hands on £500 in an emergency. When they were asked whether they could
afford an unexpected expense of
£500, 28% of
sandwich carers said they would be able
to afford it but would find it difficult. 10% of respondents said they would be able to afford it
but would need to go into debt,
while more than 1 in 5 (22%) said
they would not be able to afford it at short notice.

Alistair McQueen, Head of Savings and Retirement,
commented: 

“Money is tight for
many people, especially for those in the sandwich generation who are having to
care for others. For those able to save it is essential that our money works as
hard as possible…�

*All figures, unless otherwise stated, are from YouGov
Plc.  Total sample size was 6707 adults of which 531 were part of the
sandwich generation. Fieldwork was undertaken between 1st – 6th March
2019.  The survey was carried out online. The figures have been weighted
and are representative of all GB adults (aged 18+).

www.aviva.com | www.aviva.co.uk

©1999 – Present | Parkmatic Publications Ltd. All rights reserved | LandlordZONE® – Money Issues affect both landlords and tenants | LandlordZONE.

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Splitting title deeds and the potential tax implications?

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I am looking to buy two properties which are currently under one title deed. I am looking to split the title deeds and sell one of the properties.

What additional stamp duty and capital gains issues do I have?

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