Posts with tag: private sector landlords

Landlords told to sign up for Rent Smart Wales

Published On: July 11, 2016 at 10:55 am

Tags: landlord in Wales,licensing schemes,private sector landlords,Rent Smart Wales

Carl Sargeant, Cabinet Secretary for Communities and Children, will today visit the Rent Smart Wales call centre in Cardiff. His visit is to assess how the task to ensure all private sector landlords to sign up for the mandatory scheme is progressing.

Registration

The Housing Act (Wales) 2014 made it a legal obligation for all private landlords in Wales to register themselves and their property with Rent Smart Wales by November 23^rd 2016. Landlords who are still involved in letting and management activities will have to undertake further training.

Rent Smart Wales aims to improve standards in the sector. The call centre in Cardiff deals with queries from landlords and agents, helping them to register for their required licence.

In addition, the Cabinet Secretary also launched the next phase of the campaign in the run-up to the deadline. This was in order to inform landlords of their legal requirement to register, alongside giving tenants their right to have a property registered by a licensed landlord or letting agent.

Landlords told to sign up for Rent Smart Wales

Standards

Mr Sargeant observed, ‘Rent Smart Wales is a landmark scheme that will drive up standards in the private rented sector by requiring managing landlords and agents to undertake training to ensure they are clear on their responsibilities. It will help prevent the involvement of rogue and even criminal, landlords and agents in the management and letting of properties.’[1]

‘The scheme will help to protect tenants in the private rented sector, and will support good landlords and agents by helping them keep abreast of their responsibilities and legal obligations, raising the reputation of the sector as a whole. The deadline for registration is now less than five months away. I would urge those who have not yet done so to discharge their legal responsibilities to register as soon as possible because, whilst registration can be completed simply and quickly on-line, the licensing process can take up to eight weeks to complete,’ he continued.[1]

City of Cardiff Council Cabinet Member Bob Derbyshire, added, ‘landlords and agents will have had a full year to ensure they register, get trained and become licensed under the new scheme. Although November 23 is the deadline for compliance and to many people, that may seem distant, we are keen to stress the importance of becoming licensed sooner, rather than later.’[1]

[1] http://www.propertyreporter.co.uk/landlords/landlords-urged-to-sign-up-for-rent-smart-wales.html

Local authority to become private landlord?

Published On: June 22, 2015 at 9:46 am

Author: Em Morley

Categories: Landlord News

Tags: Bournemouth council,private landlords,private sector landlords

A local authority is due to take the unusual step of becoming a private landlord, through the launch of its own private sector landlord company.

Bournemouth councillors will consider proposing for the council to create a company that is to purchase properties, which will then be rented to people to which the council has a mandatory homeless duty.

Proposals also include giving the council the chance to buy more properties directly, as opposed to through the company. This will give them the chance to arrange different tenancies with different rent agreements.

If the proposals prove successful, it is thought that approximately 60 properties could be bought, which would cost around £10m over 3 years.

Local authority to become private landlord?

Cut costs

Councillor Robert Lawton said that the move, ‘will help us to reduce costs, for example, avoiding the use of expensive B&B accommodation. By owning the properties, it would mean that the council would be able to ensure the properties are good quality and well managed.’[1]

‘In the longer term, any income generated and increase in property values would come back to the council to help fund additional services for vulnerable people,’ Lawton continued.[1]

Councillors are set to consider the proposals in a meeting today.

[1] http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-dorset-33153747

Compulsory Landlord Licensing Scheme Revealed

Published On: May 26, 2015 at 12:17 pm

Author: Em Morley

Categories: Landlord News

Tags: landlord licensing scheme,private rental sector,private sector landlords

The Prime Minister has announced plans for an obligatory licensing scheme for all private landlords.

Compulsory Landlord Licensing Scheme Revealed

In a speech discussing proposals for controlling immigration ahead of the Queen’s Speech next week, David Cameron said: “For the first time, we’ve had landlords checking whether their tenants are here legally. So now we’ve got a majority, we will roll out licensing nationwide and we’ll change the rules so landlords can evict illegal immigrants more quickly.

“We’ll also crack down on the unscrupulous landlords who cram houses full of illegal immigrants, by introducing a new mandatory licensing regime. We’ll consult on cancelling tenancies automatically at the same point.”¹

It is not yet known what the process or timeframe of this introduction will be, and the effects are unknown.

CEO of the National Landlords Association (NLA), Richard Lambert, supports the plan to tackle criminals acting as private landlords to exploit illegal migrants.

He says: “However, it is essential that councils are given the necessary funding to ensure that they can enforce these powers effectively. This would help drive up standards in the sector and send a powerful message to criminals.

“One of the fundamental reasons that a minority of criminal landlords are able to get away with providing poor living conditions is that councils do not have the resources to make use of their already significant powers.”¹

Many councils have introduced selective licensing, however, this does not waste resources, as the letting agent can be the license holder. The new licensing rules could be beneficial to the sector.

¹http://us8.campaign-archive2.com/?u=b262206cb106d9f7a6cc34305&id=940e46d469