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Issue 5 - December 2007

Welcome to the December 2007 edition of the Greater Nottingham Landlords' Electronic newsletter.

Dates for your diary

6 December 2007 - 12.30 to 19.30 Landlord Show at the NEC see www.landlordshow.info

10 April 2008 - 8th annual Nottingham Landlord Conference

Contents

  1. Landlord Show
  2. Were you there?
  3. Gedling Borough Council - Grants up to £10,000 to bring your rented properties up to the Decent Homes Standard
  4. Nottingham City Council HMO Action Zones
  5. Residential Drug Factories - don't become a victim!
  6. East Midlands Landlord Accreditation Scheme (EMLAS)
  7. Energy Performance Certificates. Massive Discount, up to 40% off, to East Midlands Property Owners members
  8. Why should landlords be interested in energy efficiency?
  9. Landlords' Energy Saving Allowance
  10. Tenancy Deposit update from the National Landlords Association

Landlord Show

The landlord show will be held on 6th December 2007 at the NEC and is supported by West Midlands based public authority consortium - Homeswap, which comprises local authorities, fire service, police and landlords' associations working jointly to improve standards and good practise in the private rented sector.

The landlord show is free to attend and features a variety of free educational seminars and a free exhibition of specialist suppliers. Homeswap is working on an agenda to ensure that the event incorporates themes dealing with important legislation issues such as licensing, safety and tenancy deposits schemes.

More details about the Birmingham Landlord Show are available at www.landlordshow.info.

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Were you there?

On 6th June 2007, the Nottingham City Council's Houses in Multiple Occupation (HMO) team held its 7th annual landlord conference at the Council House.

Nearly 200 landlords attended the event which included presentations and workshops, giving landlords a chance to discuss relevant issues and to swap and share ideas. An informative presentation was given on "The Nottingham Housing Market from a Landlords' Perspective" and workshops looked more closely at the finer details of the Housing Act 2004.

Plans are already under way for next year's conference for Thursday 10th April 2008 and further details will be published in due course. Watch this space!

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Gedling Borough Council - Grants up to £10,000 to bring your rented properties up to the Decent Homes Standard

The government has set targets to reduce the proportion of vulnerable households in the private sector who are living in non-decent homes.

A Private Sector Stock Condition Survey was carried out in Gedling in 2006 which highlighted that the proportion of vulnerable households in non-decent homes was highest in the private rented sector.

To encourage private sector landlords to bring their properties up to the Decent Homes Standard, Renovation Grants up to a maximum of £10,000 are available from the Council.

To qualify, the property must be occupied by a "vulnerable" tenant who is aged 60 or over, or disabled, or by a family with children aged 16 years or under. The tenant must also be in receipt of income-related benefits.

If the property has been empty for six months or more, a Renovation Grant can be provided to bring it back into use and let to a "vulnerable" tenant.

For more information contact the Maintenance Section (Private Housing) Tel: 0115 9013653.

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Nottingham City Council HMO Action Zones

Nottingham City Council has recruited additional staff into the current HMO team and three Houses in Multiple Occupation (HMO) Action Zones have recently developed within the City boundary.

The Action Zones are located in "The Drives" area, Lenton, the Burns Street area, Arboretum and the Sneinton Hermitage area. These individual teams will take a proactive approach to housing within the areas as well as processing licences and improving housing conditions. Each individual team is located within each specific area and will work closely with the community.

Contacts:
The Drives (Leonie Stewart) - 0115 915 7538
Burns Street (David Hobbs) - 0115 915 1605
Sneinton Hermitage (Rosemary Herrett) - 0115 915 5616

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Residential Drug Factories - don't become a victim!

Private landlords are falling victim to gangs of criminals renting their properties and turning them into illicit drug production factories. These dens can come at a high price as they can reduce the value of the dwelling because of the effect it has on neighbourhood reputation and may increase insurance premiums. Financial loss is also caused by non-payment of rent if tenants have to be evicted, and through carrying out repairs and clean up operations. The risk of fire is increased, and in some extreme situations, houses have to be demolished if they are in a very poor condition.

Below are ten tips which may help reduce your chances of being a victim to drug-related housing crime:

  1. When applicants apply to rent your property, make sure ALL prospective tenants produce genuine photo ID, check their current address and rental histories, and note down car registration numbers and contact details, including mobile phone numbers.
  2. Often a respectable couple will apply to rent the property and then disappear leaving the criminals to take over the property for drug production, so make sure a follow up visit is done after a few weeks to check to see if the couple is present.
  3. If a prospective tenant offers 6 months rent up front be wary, by accepting large amounts of cash upfront you may suffer financial loss in the long term. If you want to take the money, then make sure you do a thorough background check.
  4. Make sure the property isn't concealed. Remove any shrubs, bushes or any other items that block the property. Installing lighting and motion sensors will increase visibility and thus deter illegal activity.
  5. Control parking and access to the property as criminals like to have multiple escape routes and access.
  6. Build rapport with neighbours, exchange numbers, and encourage them to contact you if they are suspicious of goings-on at the property, take notes on anything they tell you.
  7. Be aware of any strange smells at the property, for example ammonia or urine is an indicator of methylamphetamine production. The tenants may use strong air fresheners to mask the smells.
  8. Inside the property remain alert as any empty medicine bottles, chemical drums or containers, small plastic bags, red stained coffee filters, torn off match box striker pads, cut up empty battery cases can indicate drug production.
  9. Be vigilant of activity at the property, for example, visitors in cars or on foot staying for short amount of time, visits at late hours, and people bringing valuables into the property, can all indicate the supply of drugs.
  10. Look for people taking drugs in their cars, and drug paraphernalia discarded near the property, or in the surrounding area.

If you are suspicious that your property is harbouring illegal activity, contact Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111, or your local police station.

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East Midlands Landlord Accreditation Scheme (EMLAS)

An exciting new accreditation scheme will shortly be launched in the East Midlands. This new scheme, called the East Midlands Landlord Accreditation Scheme (EMLAS), will accredit landlords rather than properties, and will have the backing of local authorities across the region. The scheme also boasts a strong quota of landlords on its steering group, ensuring that their interests are represented and acted upon.

The scheme will provide landlords with resources and training to ensure they are aware of the latest housing legislation and its implications, and have adequate knowledge of property management. Initial mandatory training will include a one day course based on the ANUK/IDeA Landlord Development Manual. A pilot for this course was organised by Decent & Safe Homes East Midlands (DASH) and presented to Landlords in Derby during October 2007. The event was a huge success and attracted an impressive 88% satisfaction rating from delegates.

In order to qualify for the scheme, landlords must have applied for or received any licences that they should hold by law, and certify that they are 'fit and proper persons'.

For more information on the scheme, please contact Tom Toumazou, DASH Project Manager & Chair of the Accreditation Network UK (ANUK) on 01332 256476 or tom.toumazou@derby.gov.uk

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Energy Performance Certificates. Massive Discount - up to 40% off - to East Midlands Property Owners members

Landlords will be required to obtain an Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) as properties are re-let from October 2008. Once you have an EPC for a particular property it will last for ten years. In other words, if you re-let that property three times during the ten year period you do not have to pay for three energy surveys. The EPC will 'band' your property from 'A' (good) to 'G' (bad) with a label that will be familiar to anyone who buys a fridge or other electrical appliance. Just as an 'A' rated fridge will be cheaper to run than one rated 'C', so will an 'A' rated home.

Running costs are very important, especially to people on a low income. A home with a low energy rating will be expensive to keep warm, leaving your tenants with two choices: either pay a very high proportion of income on warmth (and sacrifice something else), or risk a range of medical conditions associated with living in a cold damp home.

Frank Hardy, Chair of EMPO has negotiated a massive discount of approximately 40% off, for our members.

Safelincs

EMPO is pleased to announce that Safelincs, 0800 612 2946, a provider of fire safety equipment, fire extinguisher and fire escape installation and maintenance service, is offering EMPO members a 10% discount across the board.

FSE

EMPO are pleased to announce that FSE - (0115 981 2624 ) is offering EMPO members a 10% discount off their annual fire equipment safety check.

EMPO working on behalf of local landlords.

Contact us:
www.empo.co.uk
0845 094 0386
jida@empo.co.uk

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Why should landlords be interested in energy efficiency?

Improving the energy efficiency of your properties will benefit you in many ways:

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Landlords' Energy Saving Allowance

This is a tax allowance that was introduced in 2004. It is very simple to claim: you get the appropriate energy efficiency measures installed, then complete box 5.36C on your tax return at the end of the year. Tax relief is for a maximum of £1,500 per property. For example:

Suppose your annual taxable income is £20,000 you undertake insulation measures to the value of £1,500 your total taxable profit is reduced to £18,500 your saving at 22% tax is £330, or at 40% tax is £600 If you undertake energy efficiency measures to more than one property the tax saving is multiplied by the number of properties you apply measures to.

Appropriate energy efficiency measures are:

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Tenancy Deposit update from the National Landlords Association

Mandatory deposit protection has proved increasingly successful over the six months since launch, despite initial worries that the Department of Communities and Local Government had been slow to publicise its introduction.

Government statistics published recently show that almost half a million deposits have been protected under the three schemes, with a value of around £450 million. The insurance backed TDSL scheme is projected to be protecting nearly £100 million of that total by the end of 2007.

David Salusbury, chairman of Tenancy Deposit Solutions Limited (TDSL), the only insurance-backed scheme designed for landlords, comments: "We have been very encouraged by the take-up of our insurance-backed scheme, which is particularly appreciated by larger scale portfolio landlords. They understand the benefits of being able to hold tenants' deposits, as they did previously, while fully meeting the requirements of the relevant legislation. The scheme is quick and easy to use, and importantly it does not require landlords or agents to transfer funds to a third party."

"We have seen steady growth in the number of registrations by landlords and agents and our business is operating ahead of budget. A deposit only needs to be protected when a new assured shorthold tenancy is created, and not when one is amended or extended, so where tenants are already in situ, there is no requirement for the deposit to be protected. As many tenancies work well and are extended to last several years, not surprisingly the build-up of activity is gradual, and we expect 2008 to be busy as well."

"If landlords are dispensing with a deposit to avoid using the protection scheme, they are very unwise as they will have great difficulty obtaining redress if the property is damaged or dirty at the end of the tenancy. But if they are taking a deposit and not protecting it, they are in clear contravention of the Housing Act 2004 and the consequences are potentially very serious. They may be required to pay to the tenant a penalty of three times the amount of the deposit and may find their ability to recover the property through the courts is compromised."

"All in all, implementation of mandatory deposit protection has worked well and we are pleased with our success in providing an effective, efficient solution for landlords who prefer to continue to hold deposits themselves. Feedback from them has been extremely positive and we look forward to working with a growing number of them over the coming months."

Landlords and agents can register with Tenancy Deposit Solutions and find out more by visiting the TDSL website.

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