If you were a lender how would you look at a request for a holiday?

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I had an Agreement in Principle (AIP) for a Client declined by Paragon yesterday due to credit issues,  BUT the credit file is more or less a perfect score, no missed payments, long historical residency, no CCJ’s etc etc i.e.

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Right to Rent Appeal – Legal Cases Webinar

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Landlords and agents have had to carry out right to rent checks under on tenants since 2016 (and in some areas since 2014) – but is the right to rent scheme inherently discriminatory? And if so, is it an unlawful?

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Landlords Stronger Together (2020) – Hamilton Fraser’s Property Podcast

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Paul Shamplina, Founder of Landlord Action, CEO of Hamilton Fraser, Eddie Hooker, joined by special guest, Chief Executive of the NRLA, Ben Beadle.

Hamilton Fraser’s Property Podcast discusses
breaking news and key sector topics within the private rented sector with
special industry guests. 

The latest episode of Hamilton Fraser’s Property Podcast is a lockdown special in which Eddie Hooker, CEO of award winning Hamilton Fraser Total Landlord Insurance and Paul Shamplina, Founder of Landlord Action and Brand Ambassador at Hamilton Fraser are joined (virtually) by special guest Ben Beadle, the Chief Executive of the new National Residential Landlords Association (NRLA).

Eddie, Paul and Ben (pictured) discuss the recent merger between the two landlord associations and how it can bring about “strength of voice and unity of purpose” in the sector.

Ben shares his unique insight into the sector as a
landlord himself, sharing his experiences, knowledge and advice for landlords,
especially during these uncertain times as well as outlining his future plans
for the association.

The trio also discuss several challenges facing landlords including their industry perception, legislative changes and the COVID-19 pandemic. Addressing the perception of landlords in the sector Eddie, Paul and Ben discuss how we can best support landlords and tenants by working together and opening good lines of communication.

Ben also provides insight into the NLA and RLA
merger, as well as explaining the NRLA’s vision in detail, what we can expect
to see immediately from the association and their plans for the future.

Eddie concludes the podcast by asking Ben Hamilton Fraser’s closing question for 2020, made even more hypothetical than usual during our current isolation… ‘Who would your dream co-tenant be, and why?’

Don’t forget to listen out for brand new episodes
of Hamilton Fraser’s Property Podcast this year with new special industry
guests every episode! 

©1999 – Present | Parkmatic Publications Ltd. All rights reserved | LandlordZONE® – Landlords Stronger Together (2020) – Hamilton Fraser’s Property Podcast | LandlordZONE.

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LATEST: NRLA stands firm as NUS calls for landlords to relent on student rent

admin    Uncategorized     agents

The National Residential Landlords Association and the National Union of Students have exchanged open letters to each other making their cases for and against rent waivers.

The National Union of Students (NUS) and National
Residential Landlords Association (NRLA) are still at odds following an
exchange of letters between the two unions over student rent.

The NUS has defended its calls for leniency
as it says many universities and private sector providers are releasing
students from their tenancy obligations early if they vacate the property as a
result of Coronavirus.

In a letter to NRLA chief executive Ben Beadle, Eva Crossan Jory (pictured), NUS vice-president for welfare, said: “The NUS urging PRS landlords to do the same is not outlandish.”

The student union said it would press the
Competition and Market Authority about the “pressure selling” practice of
landlords getting students to sign tenancy agreements many months in advance of
them moving in.

However, the NRLA’s Beadle responded that unless landlords had the confidence to remain in the rental market, access to student housing would become increasingly difficult for students, increasing costs and building up a considerable housing crisis.

Not exempt

He stressed that students were not exempt from
Government advice that tenants should stick to the terms of their tenancy
agreement. However, he added: “We continue to encourage all tenants, and
prospective tenants to enter into a dialogue with their landlord to understand
their responsibilities and discuss potential options.”

In response to the NUS’s call for rent subsidies,
Beadle said: “Maintenance loans are being paid as normal, and many are likely
to have seen costs on items such as shopping and leisure activity fall as they
return to live with family.  

“Student landlords are also in a more
difficult position in that, should they offer to defer rents, it is unlikely
they would be able to recover the money as students are reaching the end of
contracts and will be moving on.”

The NRLA has also written to Universities UK asking it to
urgently contact members to remind
them of the Government’s guidance on paying rent, which it promised to forward
to members.

©1999 – Present | Parkmatic Publications Ltd. All rights reserved | LandlordZONE® – LATEST: NRLA stands firm as NUS calls for landlords to relent on student rent | LandlordZONE.

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One in seven mortgages are now subject to a payment holiday

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Lenders have given over 1.6 million mortgage payment holidays to support customers facing financial difficulties due to coronavirus meaning one in seven mortgages are now covered by payment holidays following steps taken by lenders to help households whose finances have been affected by the Covid-19 crisis.

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Bournmouth licensing consultation extended due to Covid-19

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Bournemouth City Council has confirmed a licensing consultation has been extended due to Covid-19. The consultation is still ongoing, will now close four weeks after the official end of lockdown date is announced, with drop in events for landlords that were due to take place but could not also to be re-scheduled. More details about […]

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New small business bounce back loans 100% government backed

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The government has announced that a new fast-track finance scheme providing loans with a 100% government-backed guarantee for lenders is designed to benefit small businesses.

The loans will be interest free and capital repayment free for the first 12 months and the simplified application forms will be self certified subject to not committing fraud.

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Has anyone ever successfully sued a District Council?

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Has anyone successfully sued a District Council? Like all stories this one begins with a fairy tale and ends as a nightmare. The only trouble is this is no story, it’s all true.

Two years ago my husband and I wished to help our daughter and her husband of five months as they found themselves in financial difficulties.

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Adapt and survive? No adapt and Thrive!

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We’re about to enter our sixth week of lockdown in the UK. Don’t worry this is not a blog about the trials and tribulations of having to deal with everyone working from home. I’m not going to give anyone any tips about how to make the most of the situation as that really is not my speciality. I struggled like most others to begin with but after getting used to the situation I’ve been pleasantly surprised at how adaptable everyone has been. On a personal note I’ve really enjoyed being able to spend quality time with my six year old boy. For the sanity of my wife who isn’t working at the moment I’ve taken on the responsibility for teaching geography and history so she gets a break.

What this blog is about is how I see the legal landscape in the property industry when things return to normal. For those who do not know I am a qualified solicitor, legal associate director for Hamilton Fraser and have responsibility for the delivery of dispute resolution for mydeposits, the Property Redress Scheme and I am compliance officer for legal practice at Landlord Action. These responsibilities give me a direct insight into the delivery of different legal services to the property industry.

mydeposits is one of three government authorised tenancy deposit schemes across the UK (and Jersey for just mydeposits). Operating since 2007, we deal now with over 10,000 tenancy deposit disputes a year and around 7,000 adjudications. The Property Redress Scheme is one of two government authorised consumer redress schemes for the property industry. We now have 14,000 offices registered with us and deal with around 150 escalated complaints against our members a month. Landlord Action was purchased by Hamilton Fraser in June 2017 with me taking over the operations and Paul Shamplina taking a role as group brand ambassador. We have a rolling live case load of around 700 possession and debt recovery matters at any one time. These cases are for clients based all over England and Wales so over a year we will issue at least one claim in every county court in the country.

We have been heavily involved in all government consultations related to legal matters affecting the property industry. The most recent involvement we’ve had is advising the government on the implications of the removal of s.21 as an option for repossession of tenanted property. Directly linked to this is the potential for dedicated housing courts.

We had three members of the government visit our offices last year to see first had the challenges that landlords face dealing with the current court system. We also provided them with evidence to show why landlords use the s.21 process. Often there will be rent arrears, anti-social behaviour or the tenant simply wants to be rehoused by the council. This is not the kind of information that is ever seen in the mainstream press who prefer to criticise landlords rather than appreciate the challenges they can face.

From this meeting and also from seeing where the mood appeared to be heading we started looking at how we provide legal services to our clients. With the recent decision to stop all current possession matters until late June at the earliest we realised we had to do something quickly.

When we started the Property Redress Scheme we had already decided we were going to focus on achieving negotiated settlements with consumers and our agent members. As our 2019 annual report will show we now resolve just over 40% of all escalated complaints this way. With mydeposits the thinking had always been it was more efficient to push the matter through to adjudication. That traditional model has now changed and we’ve retrained our case assessors to now attempt what we call ‘early resolution’ in any cases they can. The early results have been very promising.

This leads me to the next natural step for both Hamilton Fraser and the property industry. That is the introduction of a dedicated tenancy mediation service. I am delighted to say that with a lot of drive, determination and a great team effort across the Hamilton Fraser family we have been able to launch the Property Redress Scheme Tenancy Mediation Service.

This service is designed to assist landlords and tenants come to agreements about any disputes that have occurred during a tenancy. We have trained and experienced professionals who will help both parties understand their positions and try to agree a sensible resolution to those issues. We have tried to use the best of both worlds so it is a Property Redress Scheme service but we have borrowed the Landlord Action three step, fixed fee approach.

There is going to be a huge backlog in the courts when they reopen. There are also going to be many tenants who find themselves in rent arrears through no real fault of their own. Landlords and tenants talking to each other and finding a flexible approach is going to be more important than ever before. The pending introduction of a pre action protocol for possession claims is also going to mean parties should discuss matters and attempt alternative methods before issuing a court claim.

Through Landlord Action we have also introduced a commercial lease mediation service following a similar process but as that is more legal we will use experienced Landlord Action solicitors.

We are here to help our current and hopefully new clients navigate these choppy waters.

While I’m discussing the changing face of dispute resolution in the property industry I would also like to mention that having initially sat back and observed the situation, Hamilton Fraser have launched a fantastic, new deposit alternative scheme. It is called Ome, benefits from our latest technology and I believe deals with concerns previously raised about deposit alternative schemes. It is based on a Netflix style subscription for tenants paying a very low monthly amount at the same time giving the landlord the same five weeks of rent security of a deposit.

It may not feel like it but this is an exciting time for the private rented sector. Demand is likely to be higher than ever once lockdown ends. Those who innovate and look to the future are likely to be those who benefit the most. In the meantime please follow the latest guidance, stay in and stay safe. I’ve got learning about hot and cold climates and Roman Emperors on the timetable today.

Veni Vide Vici!

©1999 – Present | Parkmatic Publications Ltd. All rights reserved | LandlordZONE® – Adapt and survive? No adapt and Thrive! | LandlordZONE.

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Here’s why nurses need free accommodation near hospitals during (and after!) Coronavirus

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Have you ever wandered why there is so much fuss made about providing free accommodation for NHS staff near hospitals? Here’s the rental data to show why landlords should help.

The answer is highlighted by research
published today that shows how nurses in London must fork out 87% of their
monthly net salary on rent and more than a month’s wages on a deposit.

Rental deposit scheme Ome set out to
highlight the problem faced by hard-working frontline staff in the capital and found
that the average rent of £1,905 around London hospitals is 124% higher than the
national average.

It
looked at the average house price for each hospital postcode, the average cost
of renting each month, the rental deposit required and how much of their salary
an average nurse needs to pay out.

When
it comes to renting, the average monthly cost around hospital sites in England
comes in at £891 – 5% higher than the average across England and accounts for
47% of the average nurse’s salary. 

It suggests
that the average nurse needs to find £1,114 upfront for a rental deposit,
compared to an average of £1,065 across England as a whole. This deposit cost
alone accounts for 59% of the average nurse’s monthly wage.  

Ome co-founder Matthew Hooker says: “We wanted to highlight the high cost of securing a place to live close to their place of work and the importance of providing temporary accommodation while they fight to keep the nation safe.

“This
opens a wider conversation surrounding the affordability of housing throughout
the UK and the current impact this is having on key workers during the COVID-19
pandemic.

“The heroic efforts made by the nation’s nurses to keep us safe must be matched by the nation’s efforts to keep an affordable roof over their heads and mitigate any worries they may have surrounding housing costs.” 

Read one one landlord who recently offered NHS staff free accommodation.

©1999 – Present | Parkmatic Publications Ltd. All rights reserved | LandlordZONE® – Here’s why nurses need free accommodation near hospitals during (and after!) Coronavirus | LandlordZONE.

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