Pre-Lockdown Cases A Priority

Possession cases that began before lockdown – including proceedings against anti-social tenants – will be prioritised when the courts reopen next month. Housing Minister, Christopher Pincher MP confirmed the news in response to a written question asking whether the current evictions ban will be extended. The NRLA has been campaigning for cases which began before the pandemic to be given priority, after it was revealed some landlords and neighbours were trapped with abusive tenants, with the eviction ban preventing landlords repossessing the properties. Read more on the NRLA website.

https://news.rla.org.uk/pre-lockdown-cases-a-priority-nrla-win-on-possessions/

Members Rallied To Contact MPs As Evictions Ban Extended

The extension of the evictions ban will have devastating consequences for some landlords, with the NRLA encouraging those affected  to write to their MPs to make sure their voices are heard. Landlords could face serious financial hardship or end up stuck with anti-social tenants for months on end as a result of the extension and the association wants them to share their experiences to make sure they have their say when it comes to agreeing a new possessions process. Read more on the RLA website.

https://news.rla.org.uk/members-rallied-to-contact-mps-as-evictions-ban-extended/

No Evictions Crisis Looming Say Landlords

There is no eviction crisis looming for private sector tenants, as new independent polling shows almost all have been able to pay their rent as usual during the coronavirus pandemic. In the survey of over 2,000 tenants across England and Wales, 90 per cent said that they had paid their rent as usual since the coronavirus crisis began. Most, 84 per cent, had not needed to ask their landlord for any support. Of those that did ask, three quarters received a positive response. Read more on the RLA website.

https://news.rla.org.uk/no-evictions-crisis-looming-say-landlords/

Eviction Ban Extended

Landlords could be left for five months without rent and anti-social tenants allowed terrorise neighbours after the government announced an extension to its eviction ban. The ban, introduced by the government in response to the Covid-19 pandemic has now been extended by two months following an announcement late this afternoon. Housing minister Robert Jenrick said the suspension of evictions from both private rented accommodation and the social sector will be extended by two months until August 23. He also announced new court rules, which he said ‘will ensure vulnerable renters are protected when the suspension of evictions ends’ Read more on the RLA website.

https://news.rla.org.uk/disappointment-as-eviction-ban-extended/

Landlords Support Mps Calls To Boost Housing Benefit

Private landlords are supporting calls by MPs on Parliament’s Housing, Communities and Local Government Select Committee to boost the financial support available to tenants during the COVID-19 outbreak. Responding to the Committee’s calls for the Local Housing Allowance to be set at a rate that reflects real market rents, Ben Beadle, Chief Executive of the National Residential Landlords Association, said: “Our research shows that the vast majority of landlords approached for help by tenants struggling as a result of coronavirus are responding positively. We have long called for benefits to cover rents which would be by far best option for tenants and landlords alike.”  Read more on the RLA website.

https://news.rla.org.uk/landlords-support-mps-calls-to-boost-housing-benefit/

Housing Market Reopens

Landlords can now hold viewings and allow tenants to move in and out of rental homes – provided they follow social distancing measures. The changes to the rules -­ amendments to the Health Protection (Coronavirus, Restrictions) regulations in England – means estate and letting agents’ offices can open; viewings are permitted; show homes can open; removal companies and the other parts of the sales and letting process are re-started with immediate effect. Housing Secretary Robert Jenrick said more than 450,000 buyers and renters have been unable to progress their plans to move since March. Read more on the RLA website.

https://news.rla.org.uk/housing-market-to-reopen/

Landlords Call For Council Tax Relief On Empty Homes

Landlords are calling on Ministers to tell local authorities that they should not charge council tax on rented homes left empty because of coronavirus. A significant number of rented homes have been left empty because tenants have been unable to take up tenancies, or have chosen to move out to be closer to family during the lockdown. During this period landlords will become liable for the council tax on the property and have no realistic prospect of finding new tenants. Read more on the RLA website.

https://news.rla.org.uk/landlords-call-for-council-tax-relief-on-empty-homes/ 

Landlords Call For Extension To Safety Certificates

Landlords are calling for a six-month extension to the validity of all gas and electrical safety certificates to cover for the impact of the coronavirus.  This comes in response to a survey showing that 38 per cent of landlords are struggling to source maintenance contractors to undertake required work and just over a third are having difficulties undertaking work in their properties because of either themselves, or their tenants, self-isolating. This would provide the time that landlords need to ensure routine, but legally binding checks, can take place at a point when the danger of spreading the virus in rental properties is at least reduced. Read more on the RLA website.

https://news.rla.org.uk/landlords-call-for-extension-to-safety-certificates/

Buy-To-Let Payment Holiday

Payment holidays for landlords with buy-to-let mortgages are among a package of measures introduced by the government in response to the coronavirus pandemic. The payment holidays, for up to three months, will be offered on the understanding the benefit is to be passed on to the tenant. Read more on the RLA website.

https://news.rla.org.uk/coronavirus-buy-to-let-payment-holiday-and-eviction-ban-announced/

Tenants Hurt By Growth In Short Term Lets

Tenants, including many with children, are finding it harder to access long term homes to rent as Government policy is driving landlords to move into the holiday lettings market, says the leading landlords’ organisation. The warning comes as figures show that Airbnb accommodation now accounts for one listing for every four properties in some parts of the country. Nearly half a million properties could be left unavailable for longer-term rent as more landlords exit the market in favour of short-term lettings. One of the main reasons for this is the change in the taxation of landlords which is driving many landlords out of the long-term sector. Read more on the RLA website.

https://news.rla.org.uk/tenants-hurt-by-growth-in-short-term-lets/

MP Presses Government On Timetable For Renters’ Reform Bill

Rosie Cooper, Labour MP for West Lancashire has received her response to a written question on the timetable for the introduction of the Renters Reform Bill. It has been two months since Housing Secretary Robert Jenrick MP announced the Renters Reform Bill as part of the Queens Speech. Responding to Ms Cooper’s question, Junior Minister at MHCLG, Luke Hall MP, said that it would be brought forward “as soon as Parliamentary time allows.” The new bill will introduce a package of reforms, including the abolition of Section 21. Read more on the RLA website.

https://news.rla.org.uk/labour-mp-presses-government-on-timetable-for-renters-reform-bill-introduction/

Universal Credit Inquiry

The House of Lords Economic Affairs Committee has launched an inquiry into the economics of Universal Credit. The committee will examine whether Universal Credit is meeting its original objectives and whether the policy assumptions reflected in its design are appropriate for different groups of claimants. It will also examine the extent to which Universal Credit meets the needs of claimants in today’s labour market and changing world of work. Read more on the RLA website.

https://news.rla.org.uk/today-in-politics-universal-credit-inquiry-and-rla-research/

New Package Of Measures To Improve Building Safety

The Government has announced that a new building safety regulator will be established, as part of a new package of measures designed to improve building safety in residential blocks. The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) will begin to establish the new regulator in shadow form immediately, ahead of it being full established, following legislation. The regulator will raise building safety and performance standards, including overseeing a new, more stringent regime for higher-risk buildings. Read more on the RLA website.

https://news.rla.org.uk/mhclg-announces-new-package-of-measures-to-improve-building-safety/

Government To Revise Model Tenancy Agreement

The Housing Secretary has announced plans to revise the Government’s model tenancy agreement to allow for “well behaved pets” in properties. The Government says that the plan will ensure that more landlords are catering for responsible pet owners wherever possible. The government’s model tenancy contracts for renters can be used as the basis of lease agreements made with tenants. Read more on the RLA website.

https://news.rla.org.uk/government-announce-new-model-tenancy-agreement-for-tenants-with-well-behaved-pets/

A Third Of Landlords To Sell Off Homes

More than a third of private landlords are planning to cut the number of homes they rent out or exit the market altogether according to a new survey of over 2,000 landlords. Almost 34% of landlords have indicated they intend to reduce their investment in the market – a 30% increase over the previous twelve months, according to the research conducted by the RLA.  Just 12% of landlords are looking to expand the number of homes they rent out down from 14% a year ago. Read more on the RLA website.

https://news.rla.org.uk/a-third-of-landlords-to-sell-off-homes/

What Will A Conservative Government Mean For Landlords?

The Conservatives have triumphed at the polls with a large majority – but what does this mean for landlords and the private rented sector? A commitment to abolishing Section 21, a stamp duty surcharge on non-UK residents and lifetime rental deposits were all key elements of the Conservative manifesto. On the PRS the Tories also said they will press forward with the roll-out of Universal Credit, bring an end to the benefit freeze and invest £9.2 billion in the energy efficiency of homes, schools and hospitals. A lifetime rental deposit scheme would see deposits transferred from one tenancy to another, rather than tenants having to save up for a ‘second deposit’ when moving house. Read more on the RLA website.

https://news.rla.org.uk/what-will-a-conservative-government-mean-for-landlords/

Landlord Confidence In Market Drops

Many private landlords say they are less confident about the market than they were three months ago, according to a new report. In analysis, the gap between the percentage of landlords planning to sell properties and those planning to buy has risen in the last two years from four percentage points to 21 percentage points. Confidence is at its lowest in London and Wales and highest in the West Midlands, followed by the North East and Yorkshire and The Humber. Read more on the RLA website.

https://news.rla.org.uk/landlords-confidence-plummets/

Nottingham Licensing Scheme A Farce

A landlord licensing scheme in Nottingham has so far managed to issue full licences to fewer than three per cent of the applications received. In August 2018, Nottingham City Council introduced a Selective Licensing Scheme across many parts of the city as a key part of its efforts to address the quality and management of private rented housing. Figures provided to the Council’s Overview and Scrutiny Committee however show that by August 2019, whilst 17,523 applications for a licence had been received, just 472 final licences had been issued. The council estimates a total of 24,000 applications are eventually likely to be received. Read more on the RLA website.

https://news.rla.org.uk/nottingham-licensing-scheme-a-farce/

Election 2019: Reports Labour Will ‘Drop Right-To-Buy Plan’

A report published over the weekend suggests Labour has dropped its controversial plan to offer tenants the right to buy their privately rented homes. The Financial Times reported the party has decided to abandon the plan amid fears the policy was ‘not workable’. It attributes the claims to “party figures familiar with its UK election manifesto”. Writing about the process of drawing up Labour’s manifesto, the paper goes on to say: “Senior figures involved in the process said that the private right to buy, floated by Mr McDonnell two months ago, had been dropped. Read more on the RLA website.

https://news.rla.org.uk/election-2019-reports-labour-will-drop-right-to-buy-plan/

Repossession Stats ‘Make Case For Housing Court’

The RLA says latest repossession stats reinforce the need for a dedicated housing court, with case waits now averaging 22.6 weeks. RLA policy director David Smith had called for a housing court to be an election pledge. Smith said: “Courts are failing both landlords and tenants. “A systematic programme of court closures, coupled with cuts to the court budgets have made it harder for anyone in the private rented sector to get justice in a timely way where something goes wrong,” said Smith. The government stats show landlords face a growing amount of time in getting judgment on repossession cases from the courts. Read more on the RLA website.

https://news.rla.org.uk/failing-courts-need-urgent-reform-argue-landlords/