Issue 22 - Oct 2010
Welcome to the October 2010 edition of the Greater Nottingham Landlords' Electronic Newsletter.
Contents
- New Bulky Waste Service on the Way for Nottingham City Council - A new service for disposing of bulky waste items like old fridges and furniture is being introduced - making it easier, quicker and cheaper for residents....
- Leeds landlord prosecuted - Extract taken from Environmental Health News - 1 October 2010. - A Leeds landlord has been fined £8,000 and ...
- Newquay landlord penalised for hazardous HMO - another extract from Environmental Health News - A Newquay landlord has been fined £2,000 after Environmental Health Officers (EHO's) discovered a blocked fire escape at his multi-occupied property....
- Use only ARLA, RICS or NALS agents, Shapps tells tenants - Housing minister Grant Shapps has urged prospective tenants to use only agents who belong to accreditation schemes....
- Government to end blanket shared housing planning regulations in England - The NLA has welcomed a Government announcement outlining a more sensible approach in the management of shared houses...
- NLA calls for rogue landlords to be prosecuted - The NLA is calling on local authorities to prosecute landlords who wilfully ignore laws aimed at protecting tenants....
New Bulky Waste Service on the Way for Nottingham City Council
A new service for disposing of bulky waste items like old fridges and furniture is being introduced - making it easier, quicker and cheaper for residents.
At the same time it will be more cost-effective for the Council, make the city cleaner and could reduce fly tipping. The scheme, which will remove many of the restrictions of the current service, has been designed in response to positive feedback received from Aspley residents following a pilot in the area.
The new service will be rolled out across the city between now and March 2011 and will make it easier for residents to dispose of unwanted bulky items. The items that will be collected include furniture, fridges and other white goods, TV sets, microwaves and fixtures and fittings.
Look out for information on the scheme and when it's coming to your area in the Arrow. This article has been taken from the September issue of Arrow.
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Leeds landlord prosecuted - Extract taken from Environmental Health News
1 October 2010. - A Leeds landlord who owns more than 200 properties, more than 40 of which are houses in multiple occupation, has been fined £8,000 and ordered to pay £6,000 costs after pleading guilty to 13 housing offences including overcrowding.
The charges relate to five licensed properties in Headingley where the landlord failed to provide Leeds City Council with gas safety and electrical installation certificates within seven days. When the certificates were eventually provided nearly all were dated after the council inspection. Some certificates took up to 56 days to arrive.
The landlord was also prosecuted for breaking the terms of his license by allowing nine tenants in a property licensed for six. In a second property seven tenants were found in a property licensed for six. Additional offences included failing to fit fire doors to two premises.
Newquay landlord penalised for hazardous HMO - another extract from Environmental Health News
A Newquay landlord has been fined £2,000 after Environmental Health Officers (EHO's) discovered a blocked fire escape at his multi-occupied property.
Cornwall Council EHOs undertook a planned inspection of a house in multiple occupation owned by a local landlord, on 13 March 2009. They discovered numerous breaches of the HMO Management Regulations and ordered the landlord to improve standards, including providing of a valid gas safety certificate and removing items that restricted safe use of the means of escape in the property.
However the landlord failed to carry out the necessary works over a "significant period of time". To date, the council believes all required works have still not been completed and further steps to protect the health safety and welfare of the tenants at the property are being considered.
A prosecution was brought to Liskeard magistrates court in July where the landlord pleaded guilty to six HMO offences and was fined a total of £2,000. Costs of £1,000 were awarded to the council.
A Cabinet member for housing said: "Cornwall Council values the contribution made by well-managed houses in multiple occupation within the local housing market but will continue to intervene in these types of property to ensure minimum standards are maintained.
"As indicated by this case, there are landlords who flout the law by failing to ensure their properties conform to legal requirements."
Any landlord unsure about HMO Management Regulations should consult with their local authorities, for advice and information.
Use only ARLA, RICS or NALS agents, Shapps tells tenants
Published: 13-Sep-2010
Housing minister Grant Shapps has urged prospective tenants to use only agents who belong to accreditation schemes.
His comments follow a report by Shelter which found that a number of landlords treated their tenants badly.
Shapps said: "Shelter's campaign draws much-needed attention to the minority of landlords who seek to exploit their tenants, and the criminals preying on those looking for somewhere to live.
"I want to join with them in urging anyone looking for rented accommodation to protect themselves and their deposits by using agents belonging to accreditation schemes such as those run by the Association of Residential Letting Agents, the National Approved Letting Scheme or the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors.
"Tenants should also ask for clear written agreements with their landlords, and can challenge unfair charges through the Office of Fair Trading."
Shapps added: "The Government is also doing its bit through the Tenant Deposit Protection Scheme, under which nearly 1.9m deposits are protected.
"Landlords not protecting deposits face tough penalties and I would urge any landlord not already registered with the scheme to do so."
Article from the National Landlords Association
The NLA has welcomed a Government announcement outlining a more sensible approach in the management of shared houses.
The NLA has been calling on Government to end the blanket shared housing planning regulations in favour of a more targeted approach.
This week the Government announced that it is changing the rules whereby landlords are forced to seek planning permission to let to unrelated tenants.
Planning permission will still be needed in certain areas to control the numbers of HMOs, however NLA believes it should be used as one of many tools available to local authorities and not the first measure undertaken.
A updated NLA Factsheet will be published on the NLA website and via NLA Focus once the full details are available.
NLA calls for rogue landlords to be prosecuted
The NLA is calling on local authorities to prosecute landlords who wilfully ignore laws aimed at protecting tenants.
A new investigation by the housing charity Shelter found that a "small but dangerous" group of landlords are bringing the whole private-rented sector into disrepute.
David Salusbury, Chairman NLA, calling for further action by councils, said:
"We roundly condemn the worst excesses in the private-rented sector where a small minority of landlords choose to exploit their tenants by offering sub-standard property which can endanger lives. This is unacceptable and local authorities must act."
"We agree with Shelter that most private landlords are responsible and honest in how they deal with their tenants and look after their properties. But where landlords wilfully ignore the rules and regulations put in place to protect tenants, landlords should expect severe penalties."
"If this rogue element within the sector goes unchallenged, then reputable landlords are tarnished and the image of the private-rented sector is damaged."
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