Issue 9 - August 2008
Welcome to the August 2008 edition of the Greater Nottingham Landlords' Electronic Newsletter
Dates for your diary
25 September 2008 - Broxtowe Borough Council's Landlords Forum. This free event will be held at the Town Hall, Foster Avenue, Beeston, NG8 1AB at 6:45pm. To book your place contact Deborah Bloomfield on 0115 9173554 or email deborah.bloomfield@broxtowe.gov.uk
1 October 2008 - Energy Performance Certificates become mandatory for all privately rented properties - look out for more information in future newsletters.
Contents
- FREE East Midlands Landlords' Accreditation Scheme Membership - The East Midlands Landlord Accreditation Scheme (EMLAS) is now fully available to all landlords who let residential property in the East Midlands region...
- Landlord Fined For Lenton Student House Disrepair - A landlord has been fined £8,000 for letting a student house fall into disrepair...
- Residential Drug Factories - don't become a victim! - Notts Police has informed us that they are discovering between 30 to 40 cannabis growing sites per month...
- National Landlord Association - new tenant check available online - We understand that the average applicant typically provides far less information about themselves than is required...
- Helpline for Energy Performance Certificates - Communities and Local Government have a helpline for queries on Energy Performance Certificates/Display Energy Certificates...
- National Guidance on Fire Safety - New national guidance on fire safety in residential accommodation was launched on Wednesday 23 July 2008...
- A New Regime for Domestic Gas - The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has announced a new body to run a new registration scheme from 1st April 2009...
- We Need Your Feedback...!
FREE East Midlands Landlord Accreditation Scheme Membership
The East Midlands Landlord Accreditation Scheme (EMLAS) is now fully available to all landlords who let residential property in the East Midlands region.
Membership of EMLAS allows a landlord to demonstrate that they are awareof legal standards, tenancy issues and general management good practice. This promotes a market advantage for accredited landlords, as tenants will look to rent property from landlords who they can be sure are reputable and promotes good standards in private renting throughout the region.
If you apply for your three year membership of EMLAS before April 2009, your membership will be completely free of charge. As well as the market advantage described above, accredited landlords can enjoy...
- FREE access to an ever increasing list of benefits and discounts on goods and services, ranging from Energy Performance Certificates(EPCs) to buildings insurance
- FREE one day landlord professional development course based on the industry standard ANUK/IDeA Landlord Development Manual including lunch, refreshments and delegate packs
- FREE half day Housing Health & Safety Rating System (HHSRS) course to help you recognise and eliminate health and safety hazards that are your responsibility in law. Refreshments and delegate packs included
- FREE briefings on new and forthcoming legislative changes to ensure that you are the first to know what is happening in the private rented sector
- FREE in-house advisory service. If you have a housing related issue or question, we will provide advice or put you in touch with someone who can help you
- FREE access to guidance on amenities, space, HHSRS, fire safety, tenancy deposit schemes, EPCs and much more
- FREE use of the EMLAS logo to promote yourself as an accredited landlord to current and potential tenants
- FREE access to standardised forms including fire safety risk assessments and an inventory.
All you need to apply for accreditation is at least one residential rented property within the East Midlands region.
If you would like to apply to become accredited, please visit our website at www.emlas.org.uk. Further details of the EMLAS scheme, including the full range of benefits and discounts and the EMLAS Code of Management, can also be found by visiting the website.
If you have any questions regarding any aspect of the scheme or would like further information please contact us at dash@derby.gov.uk or 01332 256475.
Landlord Fined For Lenton Student House Disrepair
This article has been taken from the Nottingham Evening Post on 25th July 2008.
A landlord has been fined £8,000 for letting a student house fall into disrepair.
The ceiling of the house in Lenton Boulevard, Lenton, was on the verge of collapse after Michael Singh did not get it repaired.
Nottingham magistrates heard he told students a large bow in the ceiling was nothing to worry about. But, after they complained to the City Council, inspectors visited in November and found it was in urgent need of repair and was leaking water.
They also found Singh did not hold a licence to allow multiple tenants there.
Naomi Matthews, prosecuting for the City Council, said the ceiling was in one of the bedrooms on the third floor and above a stairwell.
A repair had been done a few years before Singh took ownership, but it had been a "cheap fix", said Mrs Matthews.
"The rafters had become overloaded," she added.
The court heard the five students in the house had tried to contact Singh.
At first they could not get hold of him but, when they did, he told them everything was fine.
One student had looked at the house the summer before the council's visit.
Mrs Matthews said the student noted the carpets and walls were dirty, electrical wires were exposed and that the ceiling was sagging and had mould on it.
The student was asked to sign a form to say the house was safe, but refused.
In mitigation, Alan Millband said Singh was "not a rogue landlord".
He added: "He genuinely believed the sagging was because of the age of the property."
He said the poor repair work had been done before he bought the house around seven years ago. He added that while Singh has owned the house he has had it "spruced up" at the end of each term.
The court heard Singh, in conjunction with his brother, rented out 30 homes in Nottingham, some to students and others to families. "He wishes to provide more than satisfactory accommodation," added Mr Millband.
Singh pleaded guilty to failing to licence the property and failing to repair the house.
Magistrates fined him £5,000 for the licence offence, £3,000 for the lack of repairs and ordered him to pay £1,967 costs.
Councillor Alan Clark, the City Council's portfolio holder for Neighbourhood Transformation, said: "The safety of residents is paramount and the council is determined that private landlords comply with laws to ensure tenants' safety."
Residential Drug Factories - don't become a victim!
In an update to our article from December 2007, Notts Police has informed us that they are discovering between 30 to 40 cannabis growing sites per month, many of them in privately rented properties. They have hired an employee over the summer months who is telephoning landlords who advertise their properties in the local newspapers to make them aware of how to avoid falling victim to this problem which often completely wrecks the properties concerned.
If you have not already heard of the problem, check out our article from December 2007 for the information that you need.
National Landlord Association - new tenant check available online
We understand that the average applicant typically provides far less information about themselves than is required, which makes it very difficult for a landlord to make an informed decision as to their credit worthiness.
A situation where a tenant fails to pay rent could take up to six months to resolve, leaving landlords out of pocket to the tune of £6,000.
With increases in demand for decent and affordable rental accommodation, landlords should seek to minimise this risk by carrying out tenant reference checks.
The NLA has launched a new facility - NLA Tenant Check - for private landlords to help them make informed decisions about their prospective tenants before granting them a tenancy. Our cost effective online service has been developed to be fast and efficient and is available 24 hours a day to all landlords.
For more information, see the NLA website.
Helpline for Energy Performance Certificates
Communities and Local Government have a helpline for queries on Energy Performance Certificates/Display Energy Certificates:
Email:help@epbduk.info
Phone: 0845 365 2468.
Guidance documents can be found on CLG website.
National Guidance On Fire Safety
New national guidance on fire safety in residential accommodation was launched on Wednesday 23 July 2008.
The guidance has been produced by LACORS (Local Authority Coordinators of Regulatory Services) in conjunction with the Chartered Institute of Environmental Health (CIEH) and the Chief Fire Officers Association (CFOA). The guidance will apply nationally and covers certain existing house types including single family dwellings, older flats, shared houses and bed-sits. It is not aimed at new housing built to modern Building Regulations.
The guidance adopts a risk-based approach to fire safety that will satisfy both the Housing Act 2004 and the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005. It will also include guidance to landlords on how to carry out a fire safety risk assessment.
The guidance will be equally relevant to landlords, managing agents, local councils and fire and rescue authorities. The guidance will apply to both the private and social housing sectors. Copies of the guidance will be available to download free of charge from LACORS' website. Hard copies of the guidance will also be available to purchase for £20 a copy with free postage and packing. Landlords who wish to purchase copies should visit the LACORS website or call 020 7665 3887.
A New Regime for Domestic Gas
The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has announced a new body to run a new registration scheme from 1st April 2009 for gas installers. Capita has been selected as its preferred bidder to run the scheme, which will replace the scheme currently operated by Corgi.
The new scheme aims to improve gas safety and bring enhanced benefits to gas consumers and installers across Britain. For further information see the HSE website or telephone the information line on 0845 345 0055.
We Need Your Feedback!
The Greater Nottingham Landlords Electronic Newsletter has been running now for well over a year, and although we know a lot of you read the newsletter and visit the site, we would like to know what you think about it.
So if you have any comments, complaints or suggestions please complete our short feedback form to let us know how we're doing - thanks!
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