Another week and another Newsround, let us see what has been in the news this week.
Letting Agents score low with landlords
New stats out this week by Goodlord, a proptech company claim that 68% of landlords use letting agents full management service but 59% of them feel that the fees are high for the value of service that they get.
Only 6% of landlord claimed that they were happy with their letting agent both with service and fees. The main grip appears to be the lack of communication between the letting agent and landlord with 48% of landlords saying that this is their top annoyance.
Letting agents on the other hand are also as disgruntled with 20% claiming that too much of their time is spent on admin tasks leaving them little room to deal with other issues including limiting their ability to grow as this limits their ability to take on new business.
A Goodlord spokes person said
The issue isn’t that agents aren’t working hard enough, or even that they’re not delivering. It’s that the value of that delivery isn’t always visible.
Communication is key between a letting agent and landlord, especially now with the impending changes impacting the PRS.
Sharp rise in possession activity
Stats out this week by Landlord Action state that possession cases have surged by 60% in March and enquiries grew 75% which is the largest increase Landlord Action has ever recorded. In the first three months of this year section 21 instructions increased by 43%.
Concern that once section 21 is no longer available section 8 notices will increase the work load of courts that would not have been necessary using the section 21 process as these claims are court-driven.
Landlord Action claim that ‘landlords who had paused are now moving, and moving faster, progressing cases that had previously been delayed’.
Shocking number of landlords unprepared for RRA
Stats out this week claim that 84% of landlords are not ready for the Renters’ Right Act and 58% of them are risking being non-compliant. Togal, a free online self-assessment site scored landlords on how much they have prepared for the new Act.
The assessment covered areas of safety compliance, how landlords document conversations held with tenants, tenancy documentation, tracking repairs dealing with tenant disputes.
Out of nearly 400 landlords only 16% scored as ‘mostly compliant’ with 58% being high risk category.
James Ashford of Togal said
It is no longer enough to say you sent a document or fixed a repair. You need to be able to demonstrate it with a clear, time-stamped trail.
He also added that the Renters’ Right act ‘changes the burden of proof’.
Landlord convicted of renting out properties as cannabis farms
Marc Anthony, a landlord has been convicted of conspiracy to produce cannabis having been caught allowing seven of his properties to be used as cannabis farms. Whilst owning two of the properties he was also acting as letting agent to the other three. Bedfordshire police started investigating him back in 2022 and have seized more than 600 plants from the properties.
Marc Anthony received financial gain from allowing the farms to be run from the properties. A spokesperson for the police said
We are committed to putting an end to this activity across Bedfordshire.
You can read more here.
Snippets
Renters Rights Act sees ‘hobby landlords’ leave the sector
Landlords and tenants £16k ‘out of pocket’ after ombudsman expulsions
Shadow Housing Secretary served with eviction notice
Rent control, the idea that never dies
See also our Quick News Updates on Landlord Law
Newsround will be back again next week
Leave a Reply