Issue 2 - June 2007
Welcome to the second edition of the Greater Nottingham Landlords Newsletter
Dates for your diary
6 June 2007 - 7th Nottingham Landlords’ Conference to be held at The Council House, Old Market Square, Nottingham between 9am and 4pm.
2 October 2007 - 2ndDASH (Decent and Safe Homes) East Midlands Landlord Summit, Housing Exhibition & Conference to be held at Pride Park Stadium, Derby from 12 midday to 7pm.
Contents
- Broxtowe Borough Council - Deposit Guarantee Scheme - Assistance for both Landlords and Tenants
- Nottingham City Council - Registration or Licensing?
- Rushcliffe Borough Council - Get up to £10,000 to improve your rented property
- Broxtowe, Gedling and Rushcliffe BC - Help for private tenants
- DASH East Midlands Landlord Summit, Housing Exhibition & Conference
- National Landlords Association - Tenancy Deposits from April 2007
- Finally
Broxtowe Borough Council - Deposit Guarantee Scheme
Assistance for both Landlords and Tenants
By providing financial assistance, Broxtowe Borough Council can help people (e.g. on state benefit, earning a low income or who have insufficient savings to pay for a deposit themselves) access private rented accommodation.
Broxtowe Borough Council can provide a written deposit guarantee to the landlord in place of a cash deposit. This means that if a tenant owes money during the life of the guarantee (e.g. for damage, loss, or rent up to a maximum of one calendar month or four weeks), the landlord will be reimbursed. The debt will then be recovered from the tenant. If required, a cheque for one months’ rent in advance can also be paid to the landlord.
If the landlord makes a claim on the deposit guarantee due to damage caused to their property or for rent arrears, the tenant must repay the sum to Broxtowe Borough Council.
If you require any further information about the Deposit Guarantee Scheme, please contact the Housing Department on 0115 9173406 or write to Broxtowe Borough Council, Council Offices, Foster Avenue, Beeston, Nottingham, NG9 1AB.
Nottingham City Council - Registration or Licensing?
Has your property been converted into flats? If so, then you may be unsure whether you need to register or licence your property with your local council.
Under the Housing Act 2004 - section 257 - a property that has been converted into flats is classed as a House in Multiple Occupation(HMO) if:
- the conversion work does not comply with the ‘appropriate building standards’ and still does not comply with them; and
- less than two thirds of the self contained flats are owner-occupied
‘Appropriate building standards’ usually means the 1991 Building Regulations or whichever later Building Regulations apply at the time the work is done).
Buildings converted into flats, within the city boundary should already be registered under Nottingham City Council’s existing HMO Registration Scheme which has been in place since 2001.
If you own a property, converted into flats, and it is not registered, please contact the HMO team at Nottingham City Council for further advice.
Properties that are registered under this scheme will remain so until the Government issues further regulations which are expected to come into force on 1st October 2007. The Council will advise you if and when your property is ‘passported’ into the licensing regime.
For further information:
Website: www.nottinghamcity.gov.uk
Email: public.health@nottinghamcity.gov.uk
Telephone: 0115 915 6170/6798
Rushcliffe Borough Council - get up to £10,000 to improve your rented property
- Do you have a property in Rushcliffe that you rent out or that you intend to rent out?
- Are you willing to rent your property for a minimum of 12 months to a tenant on benefits?
- Do you need any repairs or improvements to your property to bring it up to the Decent Homes Standard?
If you have answered yes to all the above questions, you will be entitled to a grant of up to £10,000 from Rushcliffe Borough Council. To find out more please contact the Environmental Health Service on 0115 9148322 or email environmentalhealth@rushcliffe.gov.uk.
Broxtowe, Gedling and Rushcliffe BC - Help for private tenants
The South Nottinghamshire Home Improvement Agency helps residents of Broxtowe, Gedling and Rushcliffe who are elderly, disabled or on income-related benefits to maintain their independence in their current home.
The agency is a government supported partnership between the three Borough Councils, Nottinghamshire Social Services, Local Primary Care Trusts and Supporting People and is administered by Spirita (formerly Rushcliffe Homes).
If you have vulnerable tenants in Broxtowe, Gedling or Rushcliffe they could benefit from the advice and services offered by the agency.
One of the services available is the Handyperson Service for residents who are over 60 or disabled. It provides help with small jobs around the house which residents are unable to do themselves ensuring they don’t risk either their health or safety. Examples of typical jobs would be changing light bulbs and shades, putting up curtains or shelves, unblocking sinks, fitting grab/hand rails, clearing lofts, installing washing machines, hanging pictures and mirrors.
The agency arranges for reputable, reliable tradespeople to carry out these odd jobs for a subsidised fee of up to £10 per hour plus materials.
Another service is the Preventative Adaptations Service, which is available to residents who are over 70. It has been set up to help residents stay safe in their homes for longer and includes fitting grab rails, stair rails or other safety measures to help prevent falls. The agency arranges for a reputable, reliable contractor to install the necessary adaptation for a subsidised total cost of £10.
Please encourage your tenants to take advantage of these services by calling :
South Nottinghamshire Home Improvement Agency - Tel: 0115 9775330
Handyperson Service - Tel: 0115 977 5351
Preventative Adaptations Service - Tel: 0115 977 5343
Second DASH East Midlands Landlord Summit, Housing Exhibition & Conference:
Venue: Pride Park Stadium, Derby
Date: 2nd October 2007
Time: 12:00 midday - 7:00pm
Admission Cost: FREE to all delegates
Decent and Safe Homes East Midlands (DASH) has announced the Second East Midlands Landlord Summit, to be held at Pride Park Stadium in Derby on 2nd October 2007. This event follows on from the very successful first Landlord Summit that was held at the Walker Stadium in Leicester in October 2006.
Following the opening of the event, delegates will be invited to attend a series of seminars. These will be repeated at least once and a wide variety of topics will be offered, all of which will be presented by experts. Based on last year’s summit,these seminars will provide lively and thought provoking debate. Confirmed topics for this year include a review of tenancy agreements presented by Professor Martin Partington from the Law Commission, Tenancy Deposit Schemes and a seminar devoted to ways in which landlords can avoid bad tenants. We will also be addressing issues such as housing benefit reform, investment advice, buy to let and build to let. Further topics and presenters will be confirmed over the next few weeks.
As with last year’s event, there will also be a large exhibition area, where dozens of companies, from accountants to fire safety specialists, solicitors to local authorities, will be on hand to provide you with information and advice.
A free finger buffet will also be provided, plus refreshments.
If you would like to book your free place at the event please email the DASH team at dash@derby.gov.uk or call 01332 256409.
National Landlords’ Association - Tenancy Deposits from April 2007
From 6 April 2007, all landlords and lettings agents taking deposits for assured shorthold tenancies (ASTs) in England and Wales are required to join a Government authorised tenancy deposit protection scheme. This will eventually affect around 1.5 million tenancies.
There are two types of scheme:
Custodial - Landlords will be required to lodge the whole deposit with the scheme for the duration of the tenancy and, at the end of the tenancy, both parties (landlord and tenant) apply for return of the deposit. The scheme dministrator returns the funds within 10 days of agreement on how it should be split. See Deposit Protection Service for further details.
Insurance based - Landlords will hold the deposit and are required to pay a fee to protect any deposits. See Tenancy Deposit Solutions Ltd and The Tenancy Deposit Scheme for further details.
Tenancy Deposit Solutions Ltd, the NLA sponsored insurance based tenancy deposit protection scheme administered by HFIS Plc, has received a large number of applications since its launch on 6 April. The scheme has featured widely on radio and television. Last week a reception was held in the House of Commons to promote the scheme to MPs and interested parties. Speaking at the event Dr Phyllis Starkey MP, Chairman of the Communities and Local Government Select Committee praised the NLA for defending its members' interests while working constructively with government to ensure the best outcome for the private rented sector.
Finally
We hope you have enjoyed this newsletter and found the contents useful and interesting. If you have any suggestions for future articles or questions please contact us.
If you know someone who would be interested in the contents of this newsletter, please send us their email address and we will add them to our distribution list.
If you do not wish to receive this newsletter, please send the word ‘cancel’ to us and we will remove you from the next mailing.
© 2007. The Greater Nottingham Landlords’ Electronic Newsletter is run as a partnership