Articles by Victoria Barker
Landlords urged to fight for repossession rights
Landlords are being urged to back a legal case to protect their rights to repossess properties. This follows a recent court case in which a landlord’s attempt to regain their property was deemed invalid due to a dispute over a gas safety certificate. After that landlord was initially granted an order to repossess the property using Section 21 powers, the tenant successfully appealed on the grounds that they were not provided with a gas safety certificate prior to moving in.
Success as Government rejects renewal of city-wide Liverpool licensing scheme
Plans to renew a city-wide selective licensing scheme in Liverpool have been rejected by the Government following campaigning by the RLA. Liverpool City Council had proposed to renew its city-wide selective licensing scheme for another five years, with the current scheme due to end on 31st March 2020.
Tenants Fees Act extended to cover existing tenancies
The Tenant Fees Act came into force in England last year, and from today (Monday 1st June) it has a wider application for tenancies in England. The law means that landlords and letting agents cannot charge fees other than rent, deposits, holding deposits and charges for defaulting on the contract – with additional restrictions on how much tenants must pay. The full list of permitted payments can be read further down in this article.
Electrical safety guidance for landlords published
New guidance on the Electrical Safety Standards in the Private Rented Sector (England) Regulations 2020 has been published by the government. The new rules mean that landlords must ensure every electrical installation at the property is inspected and tested at least every five years by a qualified and competent person.
Reforming possession in England
The Government has now opened its consultation on removing assured shorthold tenancies and ending repossessions via Section 21. To mitigate the impact of removing Section 21, the consultation is proposing to amend or introduce a number of Section 8 grounds as well as tweaking the court system so it works slightly faster.
Coronavirus: Template letters for landlords
The NRLA has six template letters exclusive for members to download and send to tenants during the coronavirus pandemic. The template letters for landlords can be accessed online here and within the Property Management and Financial Support guidance section of our website. Members can access them by logging in to the site first.
Coventry Council ignoring Government Covid-19 guidelines
Landlords have accused Coventry Council of being irresponsible for ignoring government coronavirus guidelines by going ahead with plans to implement a licensing scheme for private rented housing.
Fire Door Safety Week: Top tips for landlords
This week the seventh fire door safety week takes place. Fire Door Safety week, organised by the British Woodworking Federation, aims to stamp out bad practice and raise awareness of the important role that fire doors play. To mark the week, there are a number of resources for landlords and tenants on the fire door safety website.
Forum Spotlight: Are wasps nests a landlords or a tenants responsibility to remove?
A landlord posted in our Forum recently a question relating to wasps nests. They were having trouble with wasps. The tenant moved in to the property in December, and the landlord recently found the wasps nest at the bottom of the garden.
Landlords urged to back legal case protecting their repossession rights in rent arrears cases
Landlords are being urged to back a legal case to protect their rights to repossess their properties when a tenant stops paying rent. This follows a recent court case in which a landlord’s attempt to regain their property was deemed invalid because of a licensing technicality.
