Landlord Law brings you all the latest housing news, let’s see what has been trending in the news this week.
Court waiting times increase despite drop in cases
Even though that has been 13% fall in the number of possession claims for section 21, the wait time for possession claims has increased according to the Ministry of Justice statistics released. The average time to court is now over 8 months for section 21 claims.
Ben Beadle, Chief Exec of NRLA said this is totally unacceptable and added
If the backlog is increasing now, before the government’s reforms begin to bite in May, there is no hope that the system will be able to cope with what is to come.
He called on the government to provide clear targets on court waiting times otherwise responsible landlords will be left ‘powerless to deal with crippling arrears or anti social behaviour’.
Council means business with proactive enforcement
Westminster council have taken on an additional 52 new staff to manage its selective licensing applications. It aims to no longer be a reactive enforcement Private Renters Team but to become a proactive enforcement department.
They have also added an online reporting tool for those who want to report a property they suspect is operating without the correct licenses. They hope that the additional staff will be able to support renters better and raise the standards across their borough.
A spokesperson said
Selective licensing has given us the ability to significantly expand our Private Renters Team, allowing us to move from reactive enforcement to a proactive approach that raises standards across Westminster.
The new team will focus on compliance in preparation for the Renters Rights Act coming into force on 1st May this year. More councils are acting in a similar manner, as Mansfield District Council has also stated that it has recruited more staff.
A landlord’s income is far from passive
With a new report out this week by Pegasus Insight they claim that a landlord now spends on average 31 hours (4 days) a month managing their rental properties. Those with 11 or more properties spend 78 hours or 10 days working.
Mark Long of Pegasus Insight said
As regulatory and operational requirements have increased, so too has the administrative and compliance workload.
And if you think that having a letting agent eases the work load you are wrong as ‘Compliance, maintenance oversight and financial administration still sit squarely with the owner’.
With rising demand on ‘time and cost pressures’, landlords estimate that 24% of their rental income is taken up with running and maintenance costs.
Rogue Landlord hit with large fine
A dishonest landlord has been given a £26,486 fine by a First Tier Tribunal judge for renting two properties without the correct HMO licenses, producing fraudulent documents and questioning the honesty of his tenants who gave witness statements.
Ndumbe Achile Ndumbe claimed that there were less than five people living at the property, he did not need a license. However he was proved wrong when Wigan Council’s housing standards team inspected the properties. They also gave him verbal and written warnings.
His appeal was rejected. A council representative said
This case demonstrates that we can and will take action against people operating substandard housing in our borough.
Snippets
Lodger supply drops for the first time since 2020 amid rising rents
England loses thousands of social homes as building fails to keep pace
Poor council licensing practice risks double prosecutions, landlords warned
Are councils trying to push landlords into breaking the rules?
See also our Quick News Updates on Landlord Law
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