Landlord Law Newsround brings you all the latest housing straight to your inbox, so let’s see what the team has spotted this week.
Bristol’s social housing mould failure
On October 27th Awaab’s Law comes into effect for social landlords who will then need to address serious hazards such as damp and mould within set timescales. Bristol Council now states that it will be hard for them to comply to this from day one.
This is a council that has previously called for rent controls on private landlords and been very critical of the private rental sector within its borough.
They state that only one third of its social housing has actually been surveyed and they have a severe backlog of major repair works. 3,000 of its homes have had damp and mould with 300 repairs waiting for over a year to be addressed.
They blame the previous Labour council (it is now controlled by the Green Party) for its failures. It is not only damp and mould that they are non-compliant on, they are also trying to address electrical compliance, asbestos inspections, to name but a few.
Not a good week for councils, as we also read this week that Tandridge District Council has been given a C4 grading for very serious failings for not carrying out electrical checks on 400 of its houses. You can read more here.
Let us hope that as councils go these are in the minority rather than the majority.
EPC system needs ‘practical reform’
Whilst landlords are not opposed to upgrading their rental properties to make them more energy efficient, they lack confidence in the current EPC system and whether it is ‘fit for purpose’. They lack ‘confidence and clarity’ and ‘inconsistency’ with varying levels of advice and costs.
One in five landlords admit that they do not understand the EPC advice that they are given and seven in ten believe that it should take into account practicalities such as leasehold flats and converted buildings rather than being uniform across all properties. Surprisingly, this new survey out by Leaders Roman Group claims that only one in four tenants is influenced by EPC reports.
Allison Thompson for LRG said
If EPCs are going to play a central role in decarbonising UK homes, we need practical reform, not just political. That means improving quality, incentivising investment, and rebuilding trust.
Grants for upgrade works are postcode dependant with restrictive eligibility criteria which landlords say are not very clear or supportive.
Landlord strategies adjust to tenants’ affordability
Fewer landlords are increasing their rents over the next year to take into account tenant affordability, according to mortgage company Pegasus Insight. 61% of landlords expect to increase their rents over the next year, which is down from 78% this time last year. This decline could indicate that tenants are now at their peak of rental affordability, and landlords need to balance pricing good tenants out where household budgets are reaching their limits.
It is expected that landlords will increase rents by 6% which is up slightly from 5%. This is due to ongoing maintenance, compliance and the Renters Rights Bill, which will limit rent increases, according to the survey.
Mark Long of Pegasus Insight says ‘our research shows that the market may be reaching an affordability ceiling. Many landlords recognise that pushing further risks losing tenants or facing longer voids’.
Cleaning tops deposit deductions
63% of tenants leaving their rental have monies taken out of their deposit for cleaning, with younger tenants (31%) being hit more than older tenants (12%), according to GoCompare insurance. Next to this is damage to property and redecoration costs, with 24% having experienced this. 6% have been charged for leaving belongings behind, and 2% for unpaid bills.
Advice from Nathan Blackler of GoCompare advises tenants to take lots of photos of the property when moving in and out, and a check out inventory.
Snippets
The tenant who built a pub in their living room
Council unveils free landlord service to prevent evictions
Half a million tenants have pet requests refused – claim
Tenants’ complaints about poor social housing in England jump 43% in a year
Big surge in landlords borrowing more to improve properties
See also our Quick News Updates on Landlord Law
Newsround will be back again next week
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