BREAKING: Welsh rent arrears loan scheme opens for applications

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The Welsh government has opened its Tenancy Saver Loan scheme to applications.

Announced in August, it offers loans to tenants who have built up rent arrears or those who believe they will struggle to pay their rent in the coming months, and is the first of its kind in the UK.

It will run until March 31^st 2021 and is backed by a fighting fund of £8 million, paying funds approved by the scheme directly to landlords or lettings agents.

The loans will be repayable over a five-year period and charge tenants an interest rate of 1% APR, and come with support and advice services ‘to help them manage their financial situation’.

Managed by Wales Council for Voluntary Action, they will be provided by seven credit unions across Wales. These will initially work with tenants to find out whether they’re eligible for the loan scheme and how much they could afford to repay, and if suitable offer them support.

Constant pressure

“We recognise the constant pressure that the coronavirus is putting on tenants and landlords,” says Minister for Housing and Local Government, Julie James (main pic, above).

“That’s why we’re supporting a low interest loan scheme that provides financial assistance for both tenants and their landlords.”
Ann Francis of Cambrian Credit Union, which is covering the majority of counties in Wales, says: “We would stress that this is a loan scheme of last resort and not a grant, so it may be that not every applicant will receive a loan.”

NRLA chief executive Ben Beadle (left), adds: “These loans will help keep tenants who have been affected by coronavirus in their homes, while supporting landlords reliant on rental income to pay their own bills.

“We would advise every landlord with a tenant in arrears to make sure they are aware of the new scheme and advise any landlord in receipt of these payments to commit to working with their tenant to maintain the tenancy in the long term.”

Read how tenants can apply for a loan.
Get more advice how to stop tenants getting behind with their rent.

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House prices up by more annually than savings on Stamp Duty holiday

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The September Halifax House Price index has just been released showing annual growth of 7.3%, quarterly growth of 3.3% and a monthly increase of 1.6%. The new average house price now stands at £249,870.

The key question is how long will pent-up demand from the lockdown and the Stamp Duty holiday incentive continue to outstrip the supply side and drive house prices?

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‘Permitted Occupier’ status – new AST needed?

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Short scenario – Tenant is asking for a partner to move in. I won’t offer a joint tenancy as the incoming person has not been in a job long enough to warrant this (still in 6 month probation period) and even then she won’t be able to afford the full rent herself.

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Not enough proof of support for six-month notice periods in Wales, committee tells minister

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A Welsh cross-party Senedd committee has criticised the country’s housing minister Julie James for her amendment to the Renting Homes (Wales) Act 2016, a change that will extend the possession notice period in Wales to six months on a permanent basis.

The provisions of the Act, which will introduce many changes to the PRS, are not yet in force but will be brought in during Spring 2021, it is expected. First announced in February, the amendment to the bill has been heavily criticised by landlords.

The minister has argued that it gives tenants more time to get ready to leave a property after a landlord has decided to take possession via a ‘no fault’ Section 21 eviction.

But the Legislation, Justice and Constitution Committee has pointed out that James has not proved that the measure has widespread support in Wales, and that overall the Welsh government did not have enough solid data to prove its case.

“The need to expand the evidence base for the Welsh PRS is an NRLA campaign that the Association said should be addressed through a Welsh Housing Survey,” says the NRLA’s Welsh policy officer, Calum Davies (left).

The report adds: “While we accept that engaging with this particular sector may come with difficulties, we make a general point of principle that the Minister’s evidence-base is weakened by the informality of the data and it is not good practice to rely on such evidence as grounds for changing primary legislation.”

The housing minister has also been criticised for the messy way the rules have been changed, and warned that the judicial system will face increased workload as landlords deal with the complexities of the new legislation.

“We believe the Minister’s decision to seek to substantially amend an Act not yet in force via a subsequent Bill, brought forward four years after that principal legislation was enacted, is an irregular approach to legislating,” it says.

“The court system should not result in high costs being incurred and there must be an emphasis on the need for timely resolution. This is especially important because of the impact the Bill will have on a landlord’s right to access their own property.”

Read more about the legislation.

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NRLA trashes Boris claim that renting is a second-rate home choice

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Boris Johnson has managed to belittle the private rented sector while launching a policy to introduce long-term fixed-rate 95% LTV mortgages for first-time buyers.

Speaking at the Conservative’s virtual national conference, the PM told the party faithful that the Government aimed to turn Generation Rent into Generation Buy.

“The disgraceful truth is that home ownership levels in this country have plummeted and many are forced to pay through the nose to rent a home they can’t truly love or make their own,” said Johnson.

Buying instinct

He said that while many people liked the flexibility that renting offered, for most people the “overwhelming instinct was to buy”, but that they couldn’t afford the mortgage or deposit. He added that this initiative – the biggest expansion of home ownership since the 1980s – should create two million more owner-occupiers.

“We will give power back to people – the fundamental, life-affirming power of home ownership. The power to decide what colour to paint your own front door.”

The National Residential Landlords Association says the PM is wrong to believe that tenants can’t turn the properties they live in into a home of their own and points to a previous survey which revealed that 63% of renters had redecorated their home.

It also showed that 52% had made significant changes to their gardens with the landlord’s permission.

Policy director Chris Norris (left) says landlords much prefer to have tenants settled long term in a home they feel comfortable in and want to look after.

He adds: “If the Government really wants to support homeownership it should consider changes to the tax system to support and encourage landlords considering leaving the market to sell to first-time buyers.

“Reports that ministers are considering an increase in capital gains tax would serve only to incentivise landlords to hold on to properties longer than they might otherwise have done.”

Read more: NRLA writes to Boris.

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National Landlord Investment Online Super-Show Thursday 8th October

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The first National Landlord Investment Online Super-Show opens the 8th October 2020 with the following Schedule:

9am – The Show opens with an introduction by LIS team

9.05am – David Smith, Economics Editor of the Sunday Times and feature writer of Property Notify will be providing you with an Economic review of the housing market and what the landscape is looking like for UK Landlord and Investors.

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IMMIGRATION BILL: Lords and MPs lock horns over ‘wrong’ online status checking service for landlords

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Peers have urged the Government to allow people to physically prove their settled status as part of the proposed EU Settlement Status legislation.

The House of Lords voted through an amendment to the Immigration and Social Security Co-ordination (EU Withdrawal) Bill which requires landlords to check tenants’ immigration status if they’re EEA and Swiss nationals – using a new online system.

Introduced by Liberal Democrat Lords spokesperson Lord Oates, it states that the Government should issue physical proof to those granted pre-settled or settled status, if asked.

He said: “[Landlords] may wonder at this discrimination between nationalities and, given that they face crippling fines and the possibility of imprisonment if they get things wrong, they may decide that in the absence of physical proof, it is safer to replicate the Government’s discrimination and not to employ, rent a property to or provide a service to an EEA national.”

Lord Horam (left) pointed out that the Australian Government had gone to an entirely digital system but allowed people to have a paper system at no cost for eight years, and to pay to have a paper system alongside the digital system for a further three years.

He added: “The Government are expecting this to happen by next July. The reality is that it will not.”

Home Department Minister Baroness Williams of Trafford insisted that if necessary, EEA citizens could show third parties their written confirmation of status, which includes details of the ‘view and prove’ service so the person checking their status could see that there was an online service where they could check the individual’s status.

She added that it also provided a telephone helpline for landlords and employers to provide guidance on conducting right-to-work and right-to-rent checks.

The Bill goes back to the Commons where it faces a Government majority.

Read more about recent Right to Rent developments.

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Shelter slams landlords for poor conditions within ‘too many’ rented properties

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Landlords have been heavily criticised by Shelter within a scathing report into the PRS in which it says over a third of rented homes are sub-standard.

Launched today, Shelter’s major report interviewed 5,177 tenants in the PRS last month and was conducted by YouGov.

It reveals that half said their home hasn’t made them feel safe during the pandemic, that 19% (or 1.6 million people) have been struggling to pay their rent and that 35% (3.6 million) live in poor conditions with electrical hazards, pests or damp.

The charity claims its research shows how badly ‘decent, affordable social homes’ are needed as too many private renters continue to spend the pandemic stuck in ‘poor-quality, expensive and overcrowded accommodation’.

It chief executive Polly Neate says: “Before a thundercloud of homelessness breaks over us, the Chancellor needs to be as swift and bold on housing as we’ve seen him be on jobs. 

“By turbocharging investment in social housing today, we can build ourselves out of this pandemic and lay the foundations of a better future.”

Shelter’s report calls for a rescue package of £12.2 billion over the next two years to fund an additional 50,000 new social homes.

Demonise

“It is important not to demonise landlords, many of whom have worked closely with their tenants during the pandemic and lockdown to reassure them about the security of their tenancy despite facing considerable financial uncertainty themselves,” says leading property management firm Ringley.

“The government cannot expect buy-to-let investors to subsidise renters indefinitely [who] are now facing higher loan repayments as loan repayment holidays did not extend the term but increased the cost.”

Read more stories about Shelter.

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Licensing proposed for Loughborough during crisis!

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Selective Licensing id being proposed for Loughborough, and they ain’t even telling Landlords publicly. A mate of mine who is going to be affected by this has asked for all of you with properties in Loughborough to be aware.

Charnwood Borough Council are consulting on two licensing schemes

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EXCLUSIVE: Don’t let this happen to you, says landlord after losing £40,500 to guaranteed rent scheme

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A landlord is fighting to get his money back after two if his HMOs were left in an appalling state after a three-year contract with London-based RHP Properties went disastrously wrong.

Gulam Sumar handed over the two six-bedroom houses in Harrow to the Walthamstow company in early 2017, after he and his business partners spent £185,000 on renovations.

It agreed to pay them a monthly guaranteed rent but within months had fallen into arrears. If that wasn’t bad enough, neighbours at both properties were complaining about anti-social behaviour and Dr Sumar could see bins over-flowing and evident drug use going on.

He tells LandlordZONE: “They wouldn’t pay us on time or give us access to inspect the properties – and wouldn’t even answer our emails or phone calls. Last year they changed their name from RHP Services to RHP Lettings, but with the same staff.”

Using a two-year break clause, Dr Sumar served notice in August 2019, with the help of Landlord Action, but the process was disrupted by Covid earlier this year.

He was beginning to despair when a tenant from one of the properties called him to say he was the only legal person living there as the others were squatters.

“I rushed round to find stolen goods, credit cards and drug paraphernalia, so I called the police and Harrow Council and changed the locks to get forced possession,” he says. Not long afterwards, a similar situation occurred with the other HMO and he was able to do the same.

But the nightmare didn’t end there as, after taking stock of both properties, he could see the extent of the necessary repairs, so got builders’ quotes with estimates of £24,000 to bring them back up to standard.

RHP insisted it could do the work in three days – but only sent round a painter for four hours.

Dr Sumar is still owed £16,500 in rent and was forced to foot the repair bill himself. He’s written to the firm insisting that they pay up but is resigned to going to the small claims court with the hope of getting at least £10,000 in costs. He’s since discovered that there are a number of other landlords with similar experiences with RHP – and some have even sued the firm.

He adds: “It was a miserable experience and I’m glad it’s nearly over. Now I want to warn other people not to make the same mistake.”

LandlordZONE has contacted RHP owner Toki Khan for a comment.

©1999 – Present | Parkmatic Publications Ltd. All rights reserved | LandlordZONE® – EXCLUSIVE: Don’t let this happen to you, says landlord after losing £40,500 to guaranteed rent scheme | LandlordZONE.

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