Posts with tag: landlord licensing

New Landlord Licensing Scheme Announced in West Nottinghamshire

Published On: September 28, 2016 at 10:16 am

Tags: landlord licensing,landlord licensing scheme,Nottingham,rogue landlords

Ashfield District Council has recently announced a new selective landlord licensing scheme, to be introduced in two parts of the west Nottinghamshire area.

New Landlord Licensing Scheme Announced in West Nottinghamshire

Landlords renting out properties in Stanton Hill and Sutton Central will now have to pass a fit and proper person test before being granted a license.

The five-year licenses will cost a landlord £350, while those that belong to the East Midlands Landlords Accreditation Scheme will be charged a reduced rate of £250.

Under the selective licensing scheme, landlords will also have to take responsibility for the safety of their tenants by keeping their properties up to the appropriate standard and reacting to any anti-social behaviour.

Councillor Keir Morrison, the Portfolio Holder for Housing at Ashfield District Council, says: “The vast majority of private landlords who rent out properties in the district operate within the law and look after their tenants, but there are some who fail to provide housing to a decent standard and don’t act on bad tenant behaviour to those they lease their properties to.

“Any scheme would mean landlords and tenants have to act responsibly or face possible action from the council – ensuring landlords properly fulfil their responsibilities to provide housing at the correct standard and to deal with tenants who may be causing anti-social problems.”

Nottinghamshire Fire and Rescue has also backed the landlord licensing scheme.

The Chief Fire Officer, John Buckley, comments: “Significant and persistent anti-social behaviour has long been associated with areas that have properties in a state of chronic disrepair.

“It is my view that the selective licensing scheme could improve the safety of homes and properties by addressing unsafe and irresponsible management practices conducted by a minority of landlords.”

If you are a landlord in the west Nottinghamshire area, be aware of the new selective licensing scheme and how it may affect you.

Always remember to stick to the law and keep up to date with your responsibilities at Landlord News.

Rogue Landlord and Letting Agents Fined £20k for Failing to License Property

Published On: September 15, 2016 at 8:31 am

Author: Em Morley

Categories: Landlord News

Tags: landlord licensing,letting agents,London,rogue landlords,rogue letting agents

A rogue landlord and letting agents have been fined over £20,000 and given criminal records for failing to license his property in Willesden and ignoring tenants’ pleas for essential repairs.

The rogue landlord had left the property in a terrible state of repair

Despite repeated warnings from Brent Council’s Private Housing Services officers, Khalid Latif and his letting agents PMC Management and Collections did not act upon the notices to bring the property on Chandos Road in Willesden Green up to a licensable standard.

The six tenants that lived at the four-bedroom property approached the council to complain about the poor living conditions at the house, which included no hot water or central heating, rotten and damp fittings and disregard of basic fire safety measures.

Watford-based Mr. Latif, who has owned the run-down property since 2000, was earning more than £2,500 per month in rent from the home.

Brent Magistrates’ Court was told that Brent Council had repeatedly contacted both Mr. Latif and PMC Management and Collections over an eight-month period and visited the property on several occasions, finding that no repairs had been undertaken.

Both the rogue landlord and letting agents were convicted of failing to license the property. The court also considered the hazards found in the property to be aggravated, and fined both Mr. Latif and PMC Management and Collections £9,500, with another £695 each in costs and £120 each in a victim surcharge – a total of £20,630.

Councillor Harbi Farah, Brent Council’s Lead Member for Housing, comments on the case: “Unlicensed, unsafe properties like this are a danger to the entire community and it is unacceptable that anyone in London should have to rent a property that lacks basic facilities like hot water.

“The vast majority of landlords and letting agents in Brent are honest and law abiding, but we take a zero tolerance approach to the minority who think they can treat their tenants like this.”

She adds: “Our licensing scheme ensures that landlords maintain their rental properties to a decent standard. If you’re a landlord, failure to license your property could result in an unlimited fine and a criminal record.”

The majority of private landlords in Brent are legally required to obtain a license from the council. Find out more here and avoid being named and shamed as a rogue landlord!

Manchester Plans to Reintroduce Landlord Licensing Schemes

Published On: September 6, 2016 at 10:57 am

Author: Em Morley

Categories: Landlord News

Tags: Greater Manchester,landlord licensing,landlord licensing scheme,Manchester

Manchester City Council is currently conducting a consultation into its plans to reintroduce landlord licensing schemes across the city, after a previous scheme was allowed to lapse without renewal after its five-year set period.

The council claims that the previous scheme was allowed to lapse as it “focused on the license process, rather than improving conditions”.

Manchester Plans to Reintroduce Landlord Licensing Schemes

It has since tried other methods to ensure high standards in the private rental sector, including a rental pledge that was adopted in March 2015. This scheme now covers 25,000 properties.

However, the city council has now decided to consult on mandatory landlord licensing schemes, which could cost investors between £500-£750 per license for each property.

As the proposed licensing areas are small, the council says it will be able to identify, with a 95% certainty, which landlords they must approach to advise them of their need to license.

Manchester’s selective licensing schemes would initially concentrate on three specific areas, starting with Crumpsall.

The council believes that the proposed landlord licensing schemes would work better than the previous attempt, as it now has access to more information and will not rely on landlords approaching it.

A spokesperson for the council says: “We did not have the data sophistication that we have now and so it was almost impossible to measure objectively what impact licensing was having on an area.”

Officers will choose licensing areas by analysing data on a range of issues, picking out locations where they believe a scheme is justified and can be objectively measured.

The Policy Manager at the Residential Landlords Association (RLA), John Stewart, says that although the RLA does not believe in landlord licensing, this scheme is “not too bad” because it would cover small areas.

The RLA claims that local authorities have enough existing powers that, if used effectively, could deal with any private landlord issues.

The body is due to meet with Manchester City Council to discuss the details of the schemes and help assess the justifications for their use and ensure they are resourced properly

The ten-week consultation will close on 31^st October 2016.

Last month, Labour’s mayoral candidate for Manchester, Andy Burnham, pledged to introduce a landlord licensing scheme in Greater Manchester if he is elected next May.

However, Manchester should beware! Recently, we reported that North Somerset Council has dropped its plans for a landlord licensing scheme, after receiving opposition from landlords in the area.

What do you think of Manchester’s plans?

Landlords Successfully Overthrow Selective Licensing Plans

Published On: September 1, 2016 at 8:36 am

Author: Em Morley

Categories: Landlord News

Tags: landlord licensing,Selective Licensing Scheme,Somerset,Weston-super-Mare

Over the past couple of months, we have covered the story of the Somerset Property Network’s battle against North Somerset Council’s selective licensing plans for landlords in Weston-super-Mare.

In late July, a group of landlords in the county decided to form the Somerset Property Network, in a bid to campaign against the new licensing scheme proposed by North Somerset Council.

Landlords Successfully Overthrow Selective Licensing Plans

The group, led by Paul Routledge (a veteran property investor) and Samantha Boyd (a private tenant), managed to raise £12,000 to take the council to judicial review in order to overturn the plans. Somerset Property Network believes that the council’s initial consultation was careless and unnecessary – “a money-making exercise at the expense of good landlords and tenants”.

Now, North Somerset Council has officially announced that it will not be progressing with the original licensing scheme, as it is aware that the Somerset Property Network has challenged the plans, suggesting a number of alternatives.

North Somerset Council remains committed to driving up the standards of private rental homes across the county, and will conduct a further review of the other options available to improve the condition of private rental properties, once it has considered the additional feedback supplied by landlords.

The council is now arranging a meet-up with representatives of local landlords, including members of the Somerset Property Network and the Private Sector Housing Forum, to explore the alternatives suggested.

North Somerset Council plans to arrange an initial meeting in early September, and, in addition, will engage with a cross-section of tenants to form a balanced view from the sector.

Somerset Property Network is confident that North Somerset Council is now listening and willing to work with responsible landlords to improve housing conditions for all tenants across the county.

Routledge, also the CEO of TenantReferencingUK.com, comments: “It is a great day for democracy and it proves it is never too late to talk. Good landlords in Weston-super-Mare are determined to rid problem landlords of our communities as much as any council; bad landlords reduce our investments and bring problems to our neighbourhoods. But the way forward is to work with the good to fight the bad, so let’s hope that’s what we can do now.

“It is our intention to put together a Somerset Property Network Voluntary Charter, whereby we can submit a standard that we all believe [as landlords] should be met and work with our good tenants to provide long-term, better homes for all. It is simple: good landlords want good tenants, and good tenants want good landlords. That works for us all.”

Co-organiser Samantha Boyd adds: “The support we’ve had on this case has been absolutely phenomenal, not just from Somerset landlords, but from landlords right around the country too. Even better, the money that we raised to take North Somerset Council to judicial review can now be spent on property improvements to provide better homes and communities for all.

“All councils need to take a leaf out of North Somerset Council’s book and listen to their good landlords and tenants, for a fair and just outcome for everyone.”

Councillor Calls for Further Landlord Licensing Scheme in Bristol

Published On: August 19, 2016 at 10:51 am

Author: Em Morley

Categories: Landlord News

Tags: Bristol,landlord licensing,landlord licensing scheme,students

A councillor has called for a further landlord licensing scheme in Bristol, as she believes many people in the city are living in poor conditions.

Councillor Carla Denyer, of the Clifton Down ward, believes that a wider licensing scheme would help combat serious rental property hazards in the city, even in affluent areas such as Clifton.

Bristol’s first landlord licensing scheme was introduced in one designated area of Easton last year. It required all private landlords in the area to register with the council and agree to keep their properties in a good condition, as well as allow inspections.

Denyer reports that the scheme has successfully improved 700 private rental properties in the area, as well as resolved 199 serious hazards.

Councillor Calls for Further Landlord Licensing Scheme in Bristol

Earlier this month, the first successful prosecution under the scheme was led by the council, which prosecuted a couple for not obtaining licenses and for not providing housing officers with documentation covering house safety.

The couple, Jagtar and Jagdish Kandola, was ordered to pay more than £38,000 in fines and costs, in a case that they failed to turn up to.

Now, Denyer has joined community housing group Acorn and Bristol’s student union housing representative to call for the scheme to be introduced across the city, particularly in areas with a high student or private tenant population.

A second scheme is currently underway in Eastville and St George, with private landlords having until the end of September to register or face prosecution.

Denyer says: “We want the council to extend landlord licensing to make sure landlords provide minimum standards in other problem areas of the city.

“People may think of Clifton Down as a privileged area, but behind the grand front doors, there are many untold stories of damp, mould and dangerous living conditions. I have met people who pay extortionate rent, yet have daily battles to get their landlord to fix a broken toilet or mend a leaking roof.”

She adds: “We are now calling on the mayor to look at extending the scheme to other areas of the city, following consultation with local communities.”

Acorn has also been campaigning for ethical lettings in Bristol. Its spokesperson, Nick Ballard, believes the licensing scheme us “vital”.

He explains: “Like any business, private rentals must be properly regulated and decent standards ensured.

“Landlord licensing is a vital first step in creating a register of landlords that will allow much-needed oversight. Permitting local authorities to inspect privately rented property as a matter of course will protect tenants from the revenge evictions that too often follow when we complain ourselves. Acorn is committed to the creation of a progressive and fair rental sector, and landlord licensing is a fundamental requirement for this.”

Students will hugely benefit from landlord licensing, claims Stephen Le Fanu, the Student Living Officer from Bristol Students’ Union, who is also a member of the Acorn student group at the University of Bristol.

“Our recent student housing survey showed that both University of Bristol and University of West of England students are frequently having to live in poor conditions and are charged rip-off fees,” he says.

“This is simply not acceptable. We have formed a group of students from across the city to tackle together some of the problems that students are individually facing and want to invite all those interested to get involved.”

Landlords, what do you think about the new proposals?

Landlords to Take North Somerset Council to Judicial Review

Published On: August 1, 2016 at 11:32 am

Author: Em Morley

Categories: Landlord News

Tags: Judicial Review,landlord licensing,landlord licensing schemes,selective licensing schemes,Weston-super-Mare

Landlords in Weston-super-Mare have joined together to take North Somerset Council to judicial review over its proposed selective licensing scheme.

Just under two weeks ago, we reported that landlords in Somerset have joined together to create the Somerset Property Network in a bid to campaign against the new licensing scheme.

Last week, after just a month of campaigning, the Somerset Property Network held its first meeting for local landlords who will be affected by the Weston-super-Mare selective licensing scheme. The group concluded that the next step is to take North Somerset Council to judicial review.

Landlords to Take North Somerset Council to Judicial Review

Around 80 buy-to-let landlords attended the event to discuss their collective belief that the process of the council’s initial licensing consultation was careless and unnecessary.

Christian Louka and Robert Carter, of Mydeposits, also attended the event to help landlords with protecting tenancy deposits and dealing with deposit disputes.

The majority of landlords in attendance were from the Central and Hillside wards of Weston-super-Mare, which are directly affected by the proposed scheme. These 51 landlords represented 187 properties in the selective licensing area.

Additionally, 29 North Somerset landlords, who are not in the selective licensing area, came out to support those that will be affected and express their concern over how the council has handled the private rental sector over the last 39 years.

In total, the landlord attendees represented over 700 North Somerset private rental properties.

Independent North Somerset Councillor Derek Mead, also a landlord, pledged his support at the event to get the scheme overturned. One member even flied in from Germany to attend.

Worryingly, however, 25% of the landlords in the selective licensing area had no idea about this scheme being implemented, which is due in November, until the Somerset Property Network campaign was launched.

One of the event’s organisers, Paul Routledge, who owns 44 self-contained flats within the selective licensing area, has spent over £600,000 in refurbishments over the last five years and has even been used by North Somerset Council to show other councils how areas can be improved by good landlords. However, he will soon be forced to pay £14,080 in licensing fees.

He said: “It’s important to understand that our group’s objective is not to fight North Somerset Council, but to work with them to create a better private rented sector for all parties involved.

“For instance, all of my tenants have signed a petition to say they do not need to be selectively licensed and that they are comfortable with their homes. They do not want their rents raised, as suggested by Mr. Mark Hughes, and we do not believe that selective licensing will do the job and that it’ll simply drive a wedge between landlords and their tenants.”

He added: “It’s a shame that North Somerset Council refused our invitation to attend and answer important questions that landlords have about the selective licensing scheme. I think they could have learned a thing or two about constructive debate and the value of listening to the very people who are going to be affected by this scheme.”