Another week and here we are at another of our popular Newsround’s, let’s see what has caught the eye of the team this week.
Renters Rights Bill continues to move forward
Next week sees two sittings in the House of Lords for the Renters Rights Bill on May 12th and May14th.
Debates will be had on the amendments that are still on the table such as allowing landlords who run student lets to have new student possession grounds and introducing a minimum six month tenancy period.
Once this has happened we would expect the Bill to have a rapid progression back to the House of Commons and it is now expected to be passed before parliament breaks up for summer on 22nd July.
Propertymark state that if the Bill is enacted in its current form it will require subsequent changes going forward. You can read more here.
Tenants hide pets from landlords
A new survey out this week from Homeprotect claims that 46% of tenants in Greater London would move a partner or pet into their rented home without the permission of the landlord. This is broken down further with 33% of men willing to do it and 29% of women, over half of generation Z would have no issue in not informing their landlord.
Tenants in the South East are more compliant with 66% saying they would notify their landlord. David Joyson of Homeprotect said
Pets can introduce new risks, such as damage to furniture or flooring, so tenants may need to update their policy or consider additional cover to ensure they’re protected. If damage occurs and the pet hasn’t been declared, or if appropriate cover isn’t in place, tenants could find themselves footing the bill.
With the new Renters Rights Bill landlords will not be able to unreasonably refuse a pet, but can insist on the tenants taking out insurance to cover any potential damages that the pet may cause.
Landlord sues council for wrongly advising tenant on eviction
A landlord sought compensation from Sefton Council after he claimed that it wrongly advised his tenant to stay put knowing that they could not prevent the eviction., resulting in the landlord incurring unnecessary legal and bailiff costs.
The landlord applied for possession on 26th March after the tenant had not paid rent since August 2023 and the tenant had told the council that he would be homeless in January 2024. The landlord applied for possession under a section 8 and notified the council. Once the possession was made the tenant had to leave by 8th April but the council told the tenant that he could not be evicted until his landlord had a warrant from the court.
By the time the bailiff’s turned up to evict the tenant on 30th April the council had already put him in temporary accommodation.
The landlord claimed that the council’s advice to the tenant telling him to stay in the property was wrong and that this would not stop the eviction.
The ombudsmen said
None of the documentary evidence the council provided showed any consideration of whether it was reasonable for [the tenant] to remain in the property when he approached as homeless. There is also no evidence the council considered the financial impact on the landlord.
Sefton Council were ordered to pay the landlords the bailiff legal and court costs.
Councils up their game on fly-tipping
Merton Council has this week announced a five year initiative in an effort to reduce fly-tipping in which they state that they now hold landlords accountable for waste dumping especially HMO landlords. They claim that HMOs generate more waste than single family homes.
Their numbers of HMO properties is currently higher than the national average with more that 29,000 and it is these properties in the PRS that contribute the higher amount of bad waste disposal. They state
All licensed HMOs will need to comply with the scheme for the storage and disposal of domestic refuse pending collection. A licence holder’s failure to comply with the scheme is a breach of the licence and a criminal offence.
To help landlords and support the scheme that are offering ‘pop up tip service’ where every neighbourhood will be able to have easy access to a convenient disposal sight at least four times a year. They will be giving HMO’s increased waste allowances based on the number of rooms, and increased their fly tipping penalty notices.
Landlord Law members can find out more about their legal obligations in our Dealing with Waste Kit.
Snippets
Council plans to curb use of letting boards
Legal Matter: The extent of a landlord’s Duty of Care
Over 50% of London Airbnb-style lets ‘operating illegally’ – claim
See also our Quick News Updates on Landlord Law
Newsround will be back again next week