Don’t worry about scaring off landlords with tougher EPCs, JRF chief tells Government

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The UK shouldn’t be held to ransom by private landlords threatening to leave the market due to tougher EPC rules, a senior policy advisor at the Joseph Rowntree Foundation has told a Tory party fringe meeting.

Darren Baxter (main pic, 2nd from right) said that although there needed to be funding available for retrofitting old properties, the government should move very quickly to legislating towards the minimum EPC C.

“If landlords do sell up, I don’t think we should be worried, as landlords sell properties to other landlords or home buyers – you recalibrate supply and demand,” he told delegates.

Baxter clashed with former pensions minister Guy Opperman (main pic, right) who argued that the government should abandon all net zero aspirations in respect of some older houses.

“Landlords will say ‘I have to spend £10-20,000 on a property that brings me £500 a year – I’ll just sell it,” he explained.

“Civil servants are utterly misguided. Shortages will get worse and you’ll get proper poverty in rural communities because people will not even be able to have a rental to start out with. If you exempt all older properties, then landlords won’t have to sell.”

Happier tenants

Opperman told the event – Happier Tenants, More Owners: How can the Conservatives rebalance the housing market for renters and buyers? – that investors could be given a tax break to incentivise building of rental or domestic properties.

He also suggested pension funds should be allowed to build more housing. Opperman added: “We want policy changes – currently councils tend to sell land to the highest bidder so you get poor builds, not long term, or quality housing.”

Watch the whole meeting.

View Full Article: Don’t worry about scaring off landlords with tougher EPCs, JRF chief tells Government

What do you think – sell or rent?

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Hello, We have a leasehold property in London which is unexpectedly vacant.

The letting agent can find a good credit tenant at an increase in rent.

Or another estate agent wants to sell it and quote a good price.

View Full Article: What do you think – sell or rent?

Dreaded water leak – who pays?

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Hello, There are 62 flats in a purpose-built block, which is now getting on.

From time to time there are leaks from communal areas and from pipes under the floorboards in addition to the normal leaks from kitchen pipes and appliances or bathroom furniture and fittings and associated pipes.

View Full Article: Dreaded water leak – who pays?

Scottish housing associations urge rethink on rent freeze law

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The Scottish Federation of Housing Associations (SFHA) is urging a rethink on Scotland’s proposed rent freeze because it will threaten the delivery of social housing.

The SFHA says that without increased government investment, housing associations will not be able to build the affordable homes that are needed to tackle poverty if a proposed rent freeze is implemented.

View Full Article: Scottish housing associations urge rethink on rent freeze law

Updated: new “How to Rent” guide is to be issued soon

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Following recent changes to legislation The Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities (DHLUC) is expected to issue an updated version of the renter’s “How to Rent” guide soon.

This is an important document as far as residential landlords and letting agents are concerned because it is one of the prescribed documents that must be issued to tenants at the commencement of their tenancy, and on renewals, in England.

There are three important points here:

1 – Without having issued a guide, landlords or their agents are unable to use the section 21 eviction process – it will fail. Although the section 21 process is likely to be revoked at some point in the near future, though this is not likely until at least well into 2023, it is nevertheless an important legal requirement to issue the guide.

2 – The guide issued must always be the latest available version at the time of the commencement of a new tenancy, or on a renewal. If the earlier version was issued in error then landlords or their agents should follow up with the tenant/s by issuing the later version.

3 – It is important to get proof of issuing the guide, otherwise if the tenant denies having received it a landlord’s section 21 possession claim will fail. The latest version of the guide should ideally be appended to the tenancy agreement and signed for, or an email version sent with its receipt acknowledged.

There have been several new pieces of legislation enacted since the issue of the last How to Rent guide, so new information will most likely be incorporated into the new guide:

1 – The Smoke and Carbon Monoxide Alarm (Amendment) Regulations 2022

2 – Changes to the Code of Practice on Right to Rent Civil Penalty Scheme for landlords and their agents

3 – The Fire Safety Act 2021 (Commencement) (England) Regulations 2022.

Prescribed information when letting

The information you need provide to your tenant/s at the commencement of a tenancy has increased dramatically over the years and has now grown to quite a list. It is vital that you fulfil all your obligations in this regard, timely and accurately, not just because it’s a legal requirement but to enable you to progress a possession claim in the unlikely event you need to do this. These are the things you must do:

1 – Deposits – you must protect any deposit you take in one of the government approved schemes and you must also serve your tenants with the Prescribed Information, all within 30 days of the receiving the deposit.

Prescribed Information for deposits is a specific set of information relating to a tenancy, which landlords are legally obliged to provide to their tenants, which consists of: 

– The amount of the deposit

– The address of the property

– The name, address and contact details of the administrator of the tenancy deposit scheme with which the deposit is held, and

– The name, address and contact details of the landlord and tenants and any third parties who have contributed to the deposit.

Make sure you have proof of service on all these documents, ideally served and signed for at the time of signing the tenancy agreement.

2 – The gas safety certificate – an annual gas safety certificate issued by a Gas Safe engineer must be current and issued at the time of the commencement of the tenancy.

3 – The electrical safety certificate – a five-year electrical safety certificate issued by a qualified electrical engineer must be current and issued to the tenant/s at the time of the commencement of the tenancy.

4 – Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) – a 10-year EPC must be current at the time of the commencement of a new tenancy and issued to the tenant/s.

Other requirements the landlord or agent must fulfil to ensure that a valid section 21 possession claim will not fail are:

1 – Follow the requirements for the vetting of tenants for Right to Rent.

2 – Make sure there is a rental property licence issued by the local authority, where required, or one has been applied for.

3 – Make sure the letting fees ban is being complied with, not to take prohibited fees under these rules or retain a holding deposit

4 – If a notice has been served on the landlord or his agent after a complaint about the property (retaliatory eviction), these complaints must be dealt and the grace period lapsed with before issuing a section 21 notice.

View Full Article: Updated: new “How to Rent” guide is to be issued soon

Divorce and lifetime BTL transfer issue?

admin    Uncategorized     agents

Hi, I would appreciate your help with regard to the lifetime transfer of property to my soon-ex-to-be wife. We are amiable and have agreed on the assets to transfer.

I understand that the flats in question must be transferred in the same financial tax year to be free of capital gains tax

View Full Article: Divorce and lifetime BTL transfer issue?

Agents excluded from The Property Ombudsman scheme

admin    Uncategorized     agents

Five agents that failed to pay a compensatory award have been excluded from The Property Ombudsman (TPO) scheme, it has been revealed.

Because the agents – detailed below – failed to pay, they had been referred to the scheme’s independent Compliance Committee.

View Full Article: Agents excluded from The Property Ombudsman scheme

LandlordZONE joins stars of HMO sector to win at inaugural awards event

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LandlordZONE has won the Best HMO Media/Content award at an inaugural awards at Stowe House in Buckingham organised by property management platform COHO.

Ours was just one of the many categories up for grabs all of which were hotly contested by many of the best HMO property operators of all sizes across the UK.

The awards also ended with a Lifetime Achievement award for Richard White (pictured), who for decades has operated as an HMO landlord in many housing markets around the UK.

He was also instrumental in helping set up and/or run several of the key organisations within the sector including the National Landlords Association. It merged with the RLA two years ago to become the NRLA.

Hosted by Sky TV presenter Liz Warburton (pictured), the HMO Awards gave away 17 gongs following a day of talks and training sessions for the 400 HMO landlords who attended, several of whom travelled from as far away as Scotland and Malta to the jaw-dropping Stowe House near Buckingham.

“I think it is amazing that everyone has got behind the idea of pushing the HMO sector forward and celebrating people who are doing things well,” says COHO co-founder Vann Vogstad.

“The entries we received for the awards were just incredible and it just shows what the best of the industry has to offer.”

Here are some of the headline winners

Best HMO Technology Suppliers – Inventory Base (Steve Rad, Sȋan Hemming Metcalfe)

Best HMO Investor – Clay Properties (Michael Clay) 

The Best Student HMO Manager – Loc8teme (James Biddle)

Best Master Lease Operator – J.O. Property Group Ltd (Joe Duggan & Olivia Maher)

Best HMO Training Program – The Co-Living Revolution (Stuart Scott)

Best HMO Financial Services Supplier – Uplift Finance (Edward Clark)

Best Professional HMO Manager – Chester Homeshare (Caroline Pattinson)

Best Residential to HMO Conversion – Cosy Hauz (Xuan Meng)

Best Commercial to HMO Conversion – Elgie Group (Sam Elgie)

Best Shared Living Design – HMO Duchess (Maria-Luisa Coleman)

Creating a Sustainable Future’ award – Gold Assets Properties (Angela Soong)

Best Community Experience – B-Hive Living (Williams Johnson Mota)

Best Progressive Social Housing HMO Investor – Stepping Stones Northampton (Madelaine Norridge)

View Full Article: LandlordZONE joins stars of HMO sector to win at inaugural awards event

Property Investors Can Claim £1 Million In Super Tax Deduction

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You have until March 31st 2023 to spend £1 Million Pounds on Capital Allowances to benefit from the 130% super deduction.
Join me with Alex Norian, the property tax specialist, from Property 118 to discuss all the qualifying capital allowances.
Please click on the video below:

View Full Article: Property Investors Can Claim £1 Million In Super Tax Deduction

Campaigners put pressure on Governmnt to solve the ‘pets in lets conundrum’

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Pet rental reform campaigners are hopeful that the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities is taking their concerns on board following a recent Pets in Lets forum.

The meeting was attended by DHLUC officials who, LandlordZONE has been told, were in ‘listening mode’.

Fifteen groups including AdvoCATS, the Lettings Hub, Propertymark and property redress figures met the ministry officials to discuss ways to support landlords and tenants around the upcoming changes.

As part of the Fairer Renting White Paper, landlords will need a good reason to refuse permission for a tenant to have an animal in their home and if they do say no, tenants will get the power to challenge their decision. Landlords will also be able to request that tenants’ pets are fully insured.

Policy makers

Heidi Shackell, The Lettings Hub CEO, says: “As we open the lines of communication and work with policy makers, we look to continue leading the way on developing solutions which meet the needs of agents, landlords, tenants and pets to ensure the changes within legislation are effectively implemented within the industry.”

Timothy Douglas (pictured), head of policy and campaigns at Propertymark, adds: “We are keen to develop a solution that helps ensure more landlords and agents are happy to take on a tenant with a pet and look forward to continuing our work with the Pets in Lets forum to develop solutions to this issue that meet the needs of everyone involved.”

AdvoCATS recently wrote to housing minister Simon Clarke to make sure he was aware of its Heads for Tails campaign – calling for an amended Tenant Fees Act 2019 to allow for landlords to require pet insurance and/or by adding a pet deposit to permitted payments – and ongoing efforts to make proposed reforms work in practice.

View Full Article: Campaigners put pressure on Governmnt to solve the ‘pets in lets conundrum’