The Tenant Services Authority has set new standards for social housing landlords which, according to Landlord Assist, the nationwide tenant eviction and rent recovery service will affect approximately 8 million tenants nationwide.
The new regulations which come into force on 1 April are being described as the biggest shake up in social housing regulation for decades.
Stephen Parry, Commercial Director of Landlord Assist states that the new framework will apply to almost 2000 social housing providers throughout the Country and will mean that tenants will enjoy similar levels of protection and services regardless of who their landlord happens to be.
The scheme will allow for tenant involvement and empowerment, standards regarding repairs, neighbourhood management to name but a few. The scheme means that where problems are identified and landlords do not meet the required standard, the regulator will discuss how the landlord is taking ownership for improving their services before more formal powers are invoked.
Graham Kinnear, MD of Landlord Assist is sceptical that this could be the precursor for further regulation to the private rented sector. Landlord Assist object to further regulation believing it will discourage people from entering the buy to let market and thereby reducing the choice and availability of rental property. A reduction in supply, according to Landlord Assist, would reduce the natural market competitiveness between landlords, which itself would reduce the quality of accommodation that is available.
Landlord Assist, formed in 2007, provide free no obligation advice to landlords and letting agents on all tenancy matters. They can be contacted on 08707 662288 or via their website www.landlordassist.co.uk.
Wednesday, 17 March 2010
Tuesday, 16 March 2010
Landlords in Court
A Salford Landlord was prosecuted for failing to get a licence for a property has been ordered to repay more than £6,000.
The landlord pleaded guilty to not signing up to the local councils selective licensing scheme and now has to repay the money he received from the Local Housing Allowance over the period the property was let without a licence.
Landlords are advised to establish what licenses their local authority requires to ensure that they do not fall foul of the law.
The landlord pleaded guilty to not signing up to the local councils selective licensing scheme and now has to repay the money he received from the Local Housing Allowance over the period the property was let without a licence.
Landlords are advised to establish what licenses their local authority requires to ensure that they do not fall foul of the law.
Spring arrived early for landlords
According to recent research rents increased almost half a percent in February. As a result the average rent in the UK now stands at £658 per month which is roughly in line with inflation and mirrors the situation of 12 months ago.
According to Graham Kinnear, MD of Landlord Assist, the nationwide tenant eviction and rent recovery firm, reductions in supply of rental property in many areas has underpinned the rental prices. There is also now the prospect of some capital growth as the market starts to stabilise
Kinnear continues "Some areas have seen significant growth in rental values as supply shortages have been very apparent. Parts of London and the East Kent Coast have seen particular surges and this trend is set to continue as fewer new Buy to Let properties come to the rental market as a result of the reduced sales volumes of the last couple of years"
It is estimated that a landlord investing in a property today would enjoy 10% return over the next twelve months made up of 5% capital growth and 5% yield on the rental income. Compared with other investment mediums it is obvious why Buy To Let remains popular and is likely to continue to be so.
Landlord Assist, formed in 2007 , offer free no obligation advice to landlords and letting agents on all tenancy issues. They can be contacted on 08707 662288 or via their website www.landlordassist.co.uk
According to Graham Kinnear, MD of Landlord Assist, the nationwide tenant eviction and rent recovery firm, reductions in supply of rental property in many areas has underpinned the rental prices. There is also now the prospect of some capital growth as the market starts to stabilise
Kinnear continues "Some areas have seen significant growth in rental values as supply shortages have been very apparent. Parts of London and the East Kent Coast have seen particular surges and this trend is set to continue as fewer new Buy to Let properties come to the rental market as a result of the reduced sales volumes of the last couple of years"
It is estimated that a landlord investing in a property today would enjoy 10% return over the next twelve months made up of 5% capital growth and 5% yield on the rental income. Compared with other investment mediums it is obvious why Buy To Let remains popular and is likely to continue to be so.
Landlord Assist, formed in 2007 , offer free no obligation advice to landlords and letting agents on all tenancy issues. They can be contacted on 08707 662288 or via their website www.landlordassist.co.uk
Saturday, 13 March 2010
Quality could be compromised
Many Buy to Let investors have suffered enormous reductions in the values of their investments over the last couple of years and as result many are trying to sell their properties to limit the loss that they must sustain.
Many of these properties are tenanted and Landlords should be careful to ensure that the sale is conducted in a way that will not land them in hot water say Landlord Assist, one of the leading tenant eviction and rent recovery firms.
Graham Kinnear, MD at Landlord Assist comments "Landlords should be aware that if they are offering vacant possession on a property that the tenant really will have vacated by the completion date. Tenants are generally entitled to a two month notice period and in the event that they stay beyond the expiry of a such a notice the landlord will need to obtain a Court Order from the County Court in order to obtain possession. This can take an additional eight weeks or so. Beyond that date a bailiff may be required to remove them which will add possibly an additional four weeks".
If the seller has contracted to sell on a given date and the tenant has not left then they may find themselves in breach of contract and their purchaser in a position to sue for damages. Not only would the buyer be entitled to pull out of the sale but the landlord may have to pay significant damages and costs to them.
According to Stephen Parry, Commercial Director of Landlord Assist, "there are a number of methods to deal with this potentially difficult situation which just require some forward planning on the part of the Landlord"
Landlord Assist provide free, no obligation advice on all tenancy matters and act for landlords and agents throughout the UK. They can be contacted on 08707 662288 or via their website www.landlordassist.co.uk
Many of these properties are tenanted and Landlords should be careful to ensure that the sale is conducted in a way that will not land them in hot water say Landlord Assist, one of the leading tenant eviction and rent recovery firms.
Graham Kinnear, MD at Landlord Assist comments "Landlords should be aware that if they are offering vacant possession on a property that the tenant really will have vacated by the completion date. Tenants are generally entitled to a two month notice period and in the event that they stay beyond the expiry of a such a notice the landlord will need to obtain a Court Order from the County Court in order to obtain possession. This can take an additional eight weeks or so. Beyond that date a bailiff may be required to remove them which will add possibly an additional four weeks".
If the seller has contracted to sell on a given date and the tenant has not left then they may find themselves in breach of contract and their purchaser in a position to sue for damages. Not only would the buyer be entitled to pull out of the sale but the landlord may have to pay significant damages and costs to them.
According to Stephen Parry, Commercial Director of Landlord Assist, "there are a number of methods to deal with this potentially difficult situation which just require some forward planning on the part of the Landlord"
Landlord Assist provide free, no obligation advice on all tenancy matters and act for landlords and agents throughout the UK. They can be contacted on 08707 662288 or via their website www.landlordassist.co.uk
Think Before you Sell!
Many Buy to Let investors have suffered enormous reductions in the values of their investments over the last couple of years and as result many are trying to sell their properties to limit the loss that they must sustain.
Many of these properties are tenanted and Landlords should be careful to ensure that the sale is conducted in a way that will not land them in hot water say Landlord Assist, one of the leading tenant eviction and rent recovery firms.
Graham Kinnear, MD at Landlord Assist comments "Landlords should be aware that if they are offering vacant possession on a property that the tenant really will have vacated by the completion date. Tenants are generally entitled to a two month notice period and in the event that they stay beyond the expiry of a such a notice the landlord will need to obtain a Court Order from the County Court in order to obtain possession. This can take an additional eight weeks or so. Beyond that date a bailiff may be required to remove them which will add possibly an additional four weeks".
If the seller has contracted to sell on a given date and the tenant has not left then they may find themselves in breach of contract and their purchaser in a position to sue for damages. Not only would the buyer be entitled to pull out of the sale but the landlord may have to pay significant damages and costs to them.
According to Stephen Parry, Commercial Director of Landlord Assist, "there are a number of methods to deal with this potentially difficult situation which just require some forward planning on the part of the Landlord"
Landlord Assist provide free, no obligation advice on all tenancy matters and act for landlords and agents throughout the UK. They can be contacted on 08707 662288 or via their website www.landlordassist.co.uk
Many of these properties are tenanted and Landlords should be careful to ensure that the sale is conducted in a way that will not land them in hot water say Landlord Assist, one of the leading tenant eviction and rent recovery firms.
Graham Kinnear, MD at Landlord Assist comments "Landlords should be aware that if they are offering vacant possession on a property that the tenant really will have vacated by the completion date. Tenants are generally entitled to a two month notice period and in the event that they stay beyond the expiry of a such a notice the landlord will need to obtain a Court Order from the County Court in order to obtain possession. This can take an additional eight weeks or so. Beyond that date a bailiff may be required to remove them which will add possibly an additional four weeks".
If the seller has contracted to sell on a given date and the tenant has not left then they may find themselves in breach of contract and their purchaser in a position to sue for damages. Not only would the buyer be entitled to pull out of the sale but the landlord may have to pay significant damages and costs to them.
According to Stephen Parry, Commercial Director of Landlord Assist, "there are a number of methods to deal with this potentially difficult situation which just require some forward planning on the part of the Landlord"
Landlord Assist provide free, no obligation advice on all tenancy matters and act for landlords and agents throughout the UK. They can be contacted on 08707 662288 or via their website www.landlordassist.co.uk
Number of evictions has fallen
Landlord Assist, one of the leading nationwide tenant eviction and rent recovery firms has analysed the number of possession claims issued against tenants over the last few years and obtained some interesting results.
The number of possessions issued to the County Court system has actually declined since 2002 where it had reached a high of 194,645 cases for the year. For the figures available for 2009 this figure had reduced to 136,440.
Graham Kinnear, MD of Landlord Assist explains "In our opinion these figures can be explained by the reduction in court applications being made by landlords of social housing such as Housing Associations and Local Authorities. This in conjunction with many private landlords through the recession choosing to broker arrangements with their tenants rather than evict them and have their property empty and search for a tenant during a period of possible oversupply of property".
Another interesting result was that only 68% of claims raised in the County Courts for possession ending with an order for possession being made which suggests over 43,000 cases failed at County Court. The figures for 2002 suggest that over 66,000 applications failed to achieve the desired result of possession
Stephen Parry, Commercial Director at Landlord Assist is unsurprised. The application system requires meticulous submission and the dates entered on notices seeking possession need to be correct. Many claims fail due to failure to serve the correct notice at the correct time and in the correct fashion.
Landlord Assist provide a dedicated service to landlords to enable them to regain possession of their tenanted property and provide free, no obligation advice.
They can be contacted on 08707 662288 or via their website www.landlordassist.co.uk
The number of possessions issued to the County Court system has actually declined since 2002 where it had reached a high of 194,645 cases for the year. For the figures available for 2009 this figure had reduced to 136,440.
Graham Kinnear, MD of Landlord Assist explains "In our opinion these figures can be explained by the reduction in court applications being made by landlords of social housing such as Housing Associations and Local Authorities. This in conjunction with many private landlords through the recession choosing to broker arrangements with their tenants rather than evict them and have their property empty and search for a tenant during a period of possible oversupply of property".
Another interesting result was that only 68% of claims raised in the County Courts for possession ending with an order for possession being made which suggests over 43,000 cases failed at County Court. The figures for 2002 suggest that over 66,000 applications failed to achieve the desired result of possession
Stephen Parry, Commercial Director at Landlord Assist is unsurprised. The application system requires meticulous submission and the dates entered on notices seeking possession need to be correct. Many claims fail due to failure to serve the correct notice at the correct time and in the correct fashion.
Landlord Assist provide a dedicated service to landlords to enable them to regain possession of their tenanted property and provide free, no obligation advice.
They can be contacted on 08707 662288 or via their website www.landlordassist.co.uk
Monday, 8 March 2010
What will you find in your property?
Landlord Assist were amused by a survey conducted by the Deposit Protection Service which polled more than 1,000 landlords to find out what items tenants had left for their landlords to dispose of.
Apparantly sex toys were one of the most common items, but not the most bizzarre. Others included a lorry engine, an inflatable father Christmas, half a dozen milk creates and the ashes of a deceased relative.
If any landlords out there have experienced anything more unusual then we would love to hear from you!
Apparantly sex toys were one of the most common items, but not the most bizzarre. Others included a lorry engine, an inflatable father Christmas, half a dozen milk creates and the ashes of a deceased relative.
If any landlords out there have experienced anything more unusual then we would love to hear from you!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)