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Issue 10 - October 2008

Welcome to the October 2008 edition of the Greater Nottingham Landlords' Electronic Newsletter

Dates for your diary

1 October 2008 - Energy Performance Certificates became mandatory for all privately rented properties

20 November - The National Landlords' Association are holding a Landlords' Meeting at Novotel, M1 junction 25, between 7pm and 9pm. All landlords welcome - see contents below

Contents

  1. Helpline for Energy Performance Certificates/Display Energy Certificates Enquiries - Do you have any questions about the new Energy Performance Certificate requirements?...
  2. Get Up to £10,000 to Improve Your Rented Property in Rushcliffe - Do you have a property in Rushcliffe that you rent out or that you intend to rent out?...
  3. Gedling Borough Council Also Offer up to £10,000 - Interest free financial assistance up to a maximum of £10,000...
  4. New National Fire Safety Guidance - A new National Fire Safety Guidance document was launched by LACoRS on 23rd July 2008...
  5. Landlords' Energy Saving Allowance (LESA) - The Landlord's Energy Saving Allowance (LESA) is a tax allowance which lets landlords claim on their tax return against the cost of buying and installing energy saving items...
  6. National Landlords' Association Celebrates its 35th Birthday - The National Landlords' Association (NLA) is celebrating its 35th birthday by warning landlords against relying too heavily on internet sources which may offer incorrect information...
  7. National Landlords' Association - Landlords' Meeting - All Landlords Welcome
  8. Threatening Phone Message by Landlord Results in 150 Hours Community Service - Last January a tenant moved into a property to find that the premises were affected by damp, a leak from the flat above and was infested by mice...

Helpline for Energy Performance Certificates/Display Energy Certificates Enquiries

Do you have any questions about the new Energy Performance Certificate requirements?

Communities & Local Government (CLG) have a helpline for queries on Energy Performance Certificates (EPCs) / Display Energy Certificates.
Email: help@epbduk.info
Phone: 0845 365 2468.
Guidance documents can be found on CLG's website.

Reminder -

From 1 July 2008

EPCs are required for the construction*, sale or rent of commercial buildings with a floor area over 2,500 m².

From 1 October 2008

* The provision of EPCs on construction of dwellings and commercial buildings will be enforced by Local Authority Building Control as part of the Building Regulations, not by local weights and measures authorities.

**The requirement to provide an EPC on rental applies only to new lettings after 1 October of dwellings which are self-contained. Lettings of room(s), bedsits, halls of residence, or hostel accommodation do not require EPCs to be provided.

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Get Up to £10,000 to Improve Your Rented Property in Rushcliffe

If you have answered yes to all the above questions, you could 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.

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Gedling Borough Council Also Offer up to £10,000

Interest free financial assistance up to a maximum of £10,000 may be available from Gedling Borough Council to bring your properties up to the Decent Homes Standard.

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 an income-related benefit.

If the property has been empty for six months or more, assistance may be provided to bring it back into use and let to a 'vulnerable' tenant.

For more information contact the Public Protection Section Tel: 0115 901 3653

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New National Fire Safety Guidance

A new National Fire Safety Guidance document was launched by LACoRS (the Local Authorities Coordinators of Regulatory Services) on 23rd July 2008. Drawing heavily from the DASH fire safety guide that has been available to Local Authorities and Landlords within the East Midlands since 2006, the guidance provides advice on how to keep residential buildings safe from fire, explains how to carry out a fire risk assessment and includes a range of case studies.

"Housing - Fire Safety", was developed by LACoRS, the Chief Fire Officers Association (CFOA) and the Chartered Institute of Environmental Health (CIEH). The guidance provides advice on how to keep residential buildings safe from fire, explains how to carry out a fire risk assessment and includes a range of case studies.

The guidance applies to existing residential accommodation including single family houses, bedsits, shared houses and flats. It does not apply to new housing that is built to modern building regulations. Landlords who follow this guidance will be well placed to satisfy requirements set out under fire safety legislation.

The guidance also assists councils and fire and rescue authorities who enforce fire safety legislation in residential accommodation. It will help them to adopt a more consistent risk-based approach.

Councillor Geoffrey Theobald, chairman of LACoRS, said:

"It's important that landlords carry out a fire risk assessment and make sure their properties have the right safety measures in place. Tenants have the right to expect that their accommodation is safe and that they will not be injured in a fire.

"Councils have an important role to play in fire safety and are working closely with fire and rescue authorities and local landlords to cut household fires, which claim more than 300 lives each year. But those landlords who intentionally flout the law can expect to face tough action in the courts."

The guidance can be downloaded for free from the LACoRS website

Landlords should contact the Private Rented Sector departments of their local council for further information and individual queries. For contact names and numbers for these departments within East Midlands local authorities, please contact DASH on 01332 256475 or dash@derby.gov.uk

To help landlords carry out fire safety risk assessments, DASH, in association with Colin Todd & Associates Ltd who wrote the original East Midlands Fire Safety Guidance in 2006, has developed a fire safety risk assessment form for landlords of small premises. This is available from the the DASH website.

The DASH fire safety guidance is currently being revised to reflect minor changes in light of the national guidance and will be available in the same easy to access format as the original guidance within the next few weeks.

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Landlords' Energy Saving Allowance (LESA)

A tax break for Landlords

The Landlord's Energy Saving Allowance (LESA) is a tax allowance which lets landlords claim on their tax return against the cost of buying and installing energy saving items. Tax relief is for a maximum of £1,500 per property.

What measures are eligible?

You can claim if you've installed the following items:

How much can I save?

Here's an example of how it works. If you've installed insulation at a cost of £1,500:

How do I claim?

It's simple to do. When filling in the Land and Property supplementary pages of your tax return, you should include the cost of these items in box 5.36C. Guidance on LESA can be found in the supplementary notes for the Land and Property pages of your main self-assessment return. All installation work needs to be completed by the end of March in order to claim for it in that tax year.

What are the advantages of installing these measures?

Where can I get more information?

To find out more about LESA, talk to your accountant or tax advisor, or visit the HM Revenues and Customs website.

The Energy Saving Trust can provide you with a personalised Home Energy Check report on each of your properties for free. Simply complete the questionnaire today and you should have your report very soon. The questionnaire is available from the Energy Savings Trust website. For more information or advice, please call the Energy Saving Trust on 0800 512 012.

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National Landlords' Association Celebrates its 35th Birthday

The National Landlords' Association (NLA), the leading representative body for landlords throughout the UK, is celebrating its 35th birthday by warning landlords against relying too heavily on internet sources which may offer incorrect information.

Since the NLA was launched as the Small Landlords' Association (SLA) in 1973, the level of regulation for private landlords has increased beyond recognition. Whereas regulation can be helpful, in some circumstances, there is also the potential for confusion and misinformation.

It is now more important than ever for landlords to stay up-to-date with relevant changes in the rules and regulations of letting property. However, the NLA is warning that misinformation from unreliable internet sources could lead to potentially devastating consequences for landlords.

David Salusbury, Chairman, NLA, said:

As we mark this important milestone, landlords must remember that not everything they read online can be trusted. With so many rule changes and complicated detail, the right information is critical. Why take the risk by simply using a search engine when, with the NLA, the correct material can be right at hand?"

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National Landlords' Association - Landlords Meeting - All landlords welcome

Thursday 20th November 2008
Tea and coffee will be served at 6.30pm
The meeting will start at 7pm

Novotel Nottingham, Bostock Lane, Long Eaton, M1 Junction 25, Nottingham NG10 4EP

On the agenda:

The meeting will be chaired by Christine Darvill, NLA Representative. After the presentations there will be time for networking over coffee before the meeting closes.

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Threatening phone message by landlord results in 150 hours community service

Last January a tenant moved into a property to find that the premises were affected by damp, a leak from the flat above and was infested by mice.

The tenant made a complaint to Birmingham City Council regarding the state of the property. The Council then wrote to the landlord, Mr Baljit Kumar, demanding that the situation to be remedied within 28 days.

At this point he made a series of abusive telephone calls to the tenant, making it clear that he wanted her to leave the flat. A number of calls were received when the tenant was at work and work colleagues witnessed the threats. The tenant left as she was worried for her safety and stayed with friends.

Mr Kumar was charged at Birmingham magistrate's court under the Protection of Eviction Act 1977 for harassing his tenant with the intent to force her to give up her tenancy. In addition to the community service order he was ordered to pay £1,000 in compensation along with legal costs of £5,081.

John Lines, cabinet member for housing, said: "This prosecution sends a clear message to landlords that they must not harass their tenants and must follow the correct legal procedures if they wish to evict a tenant."

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