Its the Friday newround again – what have we for you this week?
Which? call for a review of tenancy agreements
The consumer organisation Which have published a report (also discussed by Sean in our Westminster Briefing) calling for a review of tenancy agreements as so many of those being used include unfair clauses or are generally unsatisfactory in some other way.
Of course, this is nothing new – the Law Commission proposed this back in 2006 in their Renting Homes project. These ideas have now been used in the Welsh Renting Homes (Wales) Act 2016 but have not yet come into force.
Dealing with empty homes
With the current housing crisis, Councils are keen to bring into use some of the many empty homes scattered across the country.
They are now to be given greater powers to charge extra Council tax. An amendment has been brought in to the Rating (Property in Common Occupation) and Council Tax (Empty Dwellings) Bill which would allow councils to triple the council tax on homes left empty for five to 10 years and quadruple it on those empty for more than a decade. Council tax would be doubled for homes left empty for between 2-5 years.
Although this will be no disincentive to a billionaire keeping his ‘golden brick’ London flat empty while its value goes up, it seems increasing Council tax is otherwise effective:
Currently, there are just over 200,000 homes empty for 6 months or more in England, compared to 300,000 in 2010. This number has reduced dramatically since 2013 after councils were given powers to charge a 50% premium on council tax bills.
It also gives a welcome boost to Council funds.
Cracking down on foreign ownership
Another welcome initiative is due to come into force next year in respect of foreign companies owning UK property.
Those who are behind foreign companies which buy UK property will soon have to reveal their true identities or face up to five years in jail when it becomes illegal to hide behind shell companies when acquiring property in the UK. The government is also to set up a public register detailing the beneficial owners of overseas companies that buy property here.
I have to say that I would prefer it is my country was NOT a favourite destination for criminals to launder their ill-gotten gains.
More Court Closures
Its beginning to feel like we will soon have few court buildings left. The government has just announced another round of closures:
- Banbury Magistrates’ and County Court
- Blackfriars Crown Court
- Chorley Magistrates’ Court
- Fleetwood Magistrates’ Court
- Maidenhead Magistrates’ Court
- Northallerton Magistrates’ Court
- Wandsworth County Court
Although Cambridge Magistrates Court has been saved.
The reasons for these closures are the usual ones of saving money to allow them to make the system better as a whole. That though won’t help hard-up court users who are inevitably going to be in difficulties when travelling to more distant buildings.
More Consultations:
Energy Performance Certificates in buildings – this is looking for evidence on how EPCs currently perform against 3 attributes – quality, availability, encouraging action to improve energy efficiency. They also have some suggestions.
Letting agents using drones to photograph properties will also want to look at the Drone legislation: use, restrictions and enforcement consultation.
Snippets
- A couple have won a case against Countrywide who were suing them for estate agency fees
- Legislation is to be announced which will require all new homes to have superfast broadband
- An agent has been expelled by RICS after a cartel case
- Fixflo are running their annual Landlord Survey which you can answer here. NB There is a chance to win a £50 Amazon voucher.
Newsround will be back next week.
Wandsworth now?
Lambeth has already gone, or is it still hanging on in there? which is the next nearest and Clerkenwell & Shoreditch is already picking up the extra overload from Bow closures.
There is a mad story here about Luton council lodging papers at court by leaving them with the security guard, The court decided the papers werent served in time because a security guard is not officially an officer of the court but the admin office had been closed for several months, so there was nobody to hand the forms to. Madness
http://www.localgovernmentlawyer.co.uk/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=35183%3Asecurity-guard-did-not-have-authority-to-accept-informations-admin-court&catid=1%3Alatest-stories&Itemid=28
I have to disagree with you about wanting my country to be a favoyrable destination for criminals to deposit their ill-gotten gains. Being a stable country with a strong history of respecting property rights is a good even when you are not a criminal. That is criminals mostly want the same protections as honest people do,
A story that involves council tax and the distance to courts.
Our local council sent council tax bills to my main LA for a property he didn’t own or manage. It was owned by his sister in law. He wrote and phoned the council several times explaining what happened, but they paid no attention and arranged to take him to court.
He turned up at court and the council tried to withdraw from the case, but he was annoyed so insisted on having a hearing. They get into court and the mafistrates greet my LA. He is a former magistrate. So the hearing would have to be transferred. Since the council would lose and have to pay costs they didn’t want this, but he insisted on a meeting with the head of the housing department before he would agree,
When he turned up as asked to see her by name the council office reception had no record of her. Eventually, he had the meeting and a chance to air his complaints.
The following week two separate new demands for council tax for that property arrived at his office.