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Evictions Ban Extended in England

Posted on by prateek

UPDATE: On the 14th February, just a week before the revised deadline mentioned in the blog below, Robert Jenrick MP announced a further extension to the evictions ban – until 31st March 2021. All other details in the below post remain accurate at time of writing.

The government has announced a further extension to the ban on bailiff-enforced evictions for private renters in England. The previous restrictions were due to end on Monday the 11th of January, following a month-long ban over the Christmas period. The new extension will be until the 21st of February 2021 and reviewed regularly, meaning that there could yet be another extension.

There are exemptions to the regulations, which include:

  • Illegal occupation
  • Anti-social behaviour
  • Where a property is unoccupied following the death of a tenant
  • Extreme rent arrears (equivalent to nine months’ rent, excluding any arrears accrued since the 23rd of March)

Claims for possession can still progress through the courts, however a large backlog of claims built up during the Covid-enforced court closure last year. This means that landlords making new possessions claims may face a lengthy wait for their claim to be heard. However, eviction notices will not be enacted by bailiffs until after the evictions ban has been lifted on the 21st of February at the earliest.

Confused?

Even without all of the temporary legislation that has been introduced over the last year, the private rental market is becoming more regulated than ever before. A previous blog revealed that landlords are now required to comply with 156 different laws over the course of a tenancy; it has never been more important for your tenancy to be managed by a knowledgeable, professional and regulated agency.

For guidance on all aspects of tenancy management, or if you are considering letting your property in Bath, contact us on 01225 445777 or info@localhost.

November Lockdown: What You Need To Know

Posted on by prateek

Updated: 4th November 2020

We have received many enquiries over the last few days from landlords and tenants wondering exactly how they will be affected by the second national lockdown in England, which passed through Parliament today.

The Health Protection (Coronavirus, Restrictions) (England) (No. 4) Regulations 2020 specifically states that activities relating to our sector are allowed to continue.

Property viewings are allowed, as long as we have the permission of the incumbent tenant to do so and they are not isolating. We are taking careful precautions when visiting any property; all parties present are required to wear face coverings and gloves, and any surfaces touched are wiped down before we leave.

Home moves are permitted, so any tenants due to move in or out of a property during November can still go ahead, unless they have been told to isolate. We are required to comply with strict safety guidelines, and the measures we have implemented go beyond what is asked of us; all moves during the lockdown will be completely contactless so tenants will not need to meet with anyone from Reside in person.

Contractors are allowed to attend properties to carry out repairs during the lockdown, as long as they observe safety guidelines. We are asking tenants to report maintaince issues to us during November, as long as they are comfortable with having an engineer visit their property, so that we can arrange repairs where possible, rather than build up a backlog of issues to be addressed after lockdown.

Our office will stay open. Although we are heading into a national lockdown, we will still be here should you need us. Our office will be staffed during our standard opening hours, but you should telephone, email or arrange a Zoom meeting should you need to speak with us. Please do not visit our office in person during the lockdown, unless it is essential to do so.

Whilst we will be permitted to carry out the vast majority of our work, we must take extra safety precautions, all of which have been carefully planned to reduce risk to all parties.

We expect to receive more detailed guidance from government after the vote in Parliament, and we shall let you know if anything changes. In the meantime, if you would like more regular updates, these can be found on our social media channels or by contacting our office directly.

New Bath Apartments Offer Premier City Centre Living

Posted on by prateek

Space Available in Recently Completed John Street Development

Space is now available at a prime location in Bath city centre, offering the conveniences of modern living nestled within the splendour of Georgian architecture.

Kingsgate Apartments, 7 John Street, a development by Longacre, contains six apartments, a mixture of one and two bed. The new homes sit in the heart of Bath, between the prestigious Queen Square and bustling Milsom Street.

Longacre, renowned for its sensitive, high quality developments, is well versed in creating stunning modern apartments throughout Bath.

From Fitzroy House on Great Pulteney Street, to Milsom Apartments on Milsom Street, the company has a growing reputation for creating excellent living spaces in stunning locations.

Kingsgate Apartments are no exception. This secluded development nestled within the city’s back streets, filled with independent businesses, quirky cafes, traditional pubs and popular restaurants.

Alongside the expected conveniences of modern living, the development also benefits from lift access and superfast broadband. At a time when more people are discovering the benefits of working from home, this is a fantastic opportunity for young professionals, entrepreneurs or retirees seeking a level walk to all amenities.

Available through Reside, high levels of interest are expected in the remaining apartments. Prices start from £1,050 pcm.

For more information, view our available properties or call 01225 445777.

COVID-19 Update: Back To Work

Posted on by prateek

The New Normal

On Wednesday 13th of May, the government removed restrictions on residential lettings and issued strict guidelines, specifying how we can return to work. Safety remains paramount and we have had to radically adapt our methods to ensure that our staff and our customers are safe. The peak of the epidemic may have passed but the virus is still a very real threat and we have a clear duty of care towards everyone we engage with.

From Monday the 18th of May, our office will be staffed, however it will not be open to the general public for safety reasons. We have a self-contained space adjacent to our office (pictured), which is COVID-Safe and can be used for meetings by prior arrangement, if you need to see us in person. Even so, it would be safest for everyone if you were to contact us via email or phone.

We are now able to respond to non-urgent repairs, however many trades have not yet returned to work, and many are finding it difficult to source parts and materials. As a result, there may be a delay in some issues being resolved.

Like many others, we have adapted our processes and procedures during the lockdown period, making use of video technologies and remote working.

Although we are now permitted to return to work and visit properties, many of our clients will continue to act with caution and may prefer to meet with us remotely. If you would like to discuss letting your property, please contact us to arrange a full market appraisal via video call, or in person.

 

General Election 2019

Posted on by prateek

WHAT IT MEANS FOR THE PRIVATE RENTAL SECTOR

Heated debates over Brexit and the future of the NHS may have dominated headlines in the run-up to this year’s snap General Election, but when voters go to the polls on 12 December they will also have their say on a broad spectrum of policies which will plot the direction of the United Kingdom for the foreseeable future. Flagship housing policies have been announced by all of the main parties, each of which would mean significant changes for the private rental sector. Change is coming for landlords and tenants alike, regardless of who has the Downing Street keys come the New Year.

Armed with a strong brew and a highlighter, we trawled the manifestos to bring you a summary of the main partys’ plans for the sector.

The Conservative Party

Before an election had even been called, the Conservatives outlined their intention to abolish Section 21, or ‘no-fault’ evictions; their manifesto follows through on this promise. It is expected that Section 21 of the Housing Act will be replaced by a reworked version of Section 8, which would allow landlords to take back possession of their property if they had a valid reason, for example a breach of contract or to sell. The government sold this as a fairer solution for both tenants and landlords by promising greater security to tenants, and a simpler, faster eviction process for landlords with a genuine reason for seeking possession.

We will bring in a Better Deal for Renters, including abolishing ‘no fault’ evictions and only requiring one ‘lifetime’ deposit which moves with the tenant.

The Tories’ manifesto also plans to introduce a ‘lifetime’ deposit which moves with the tenant from property to property, also known as tenant deposit passports. In practice, this will allow a tenant to port their existing security deposit to their next tenancy; it is not yet known how deposit deductions or tenancy overlaps will work. A working group formed of the various deposit protection schemes had been due to report back to the government in the autumn, but the election has forced the Conservatives’ hand.

The only other reference to the sector in the Tory manifesto is an allusion to a policy introduced in 2015, protecting tenants from ‘revenge evictions’. We can only assume that legislation and enforcement of this issue will be tightened to give tenants greater protection against unscrupulous and ill-informed landlords.

The Labour Party

Jeremy Corbyn’s manifesto says that the UK’s 11 million tenants are ‘at the sharp end of the housing crisis’, and promises urgent action to protect private renters. Plans for open-ended tenancies will mean an end to no-fault evictions, echoing the Conservatives’ intentions to scrap Section 21, whilst rent increases would be capped at inflation. Labour would also give local authorities powers to introduce rent caps, should rents locally be deemed excessive against the national average.

We will take urgent action to protect private renters through rent controls, open-ended tenancies, and new, binding minimum standards.

An annual property ‘MOT’ would replace current landlord safety requirements, with hefty fines, landlord licensing and renters’ unions in place to hold sub-standard homes and rogue landlords to account. One of the party’s more radical policies is the introduction of national licensing for landlords.

Labour would abolish the Conservatives’ contentious Right to Rent policy, which in March 2019 was found to be in contravention of human rights law. This would remove the burden on a landlord to check the immigration status of their tenant before and during their tenancy.

The Liberal Democrats

Jo Swinson’s most eye-catching policy for the private rental sector is the introduction of a Help to Rent scheme, which would provide government-backed deposit loans to first-time renters under the age of 30. This has drawn criticism from some who believe the government should be supporting the younger generation into home ownership; however, Swinson maintains that increasing numbers of young people require state support in order to break into the rental market.

To reform the private rental sector, we will help young people into the rental market by establishing a new Help to Rent scheme to provide government-backed tenancy deposit loans for all first-time renters under 30.

The Liberal Democrats complete the triumvirate of major parties who have pledged greater security to tenants in the form of longer-term tenancies. Whilst they have not explicitly pledged in their manifesto to remove Section 21, the party voted in favour of doing so at their Bournemouth conference last September. They would also introduce a cap on annual rent increases, linked to inflation.

The Lib Dems’ final flagship rental policy is the mandatory licensing of all private landlords, in order to improve enforcement of current regulations.

What does it all mean?

Regardless of your political inclinations, landlords should accept that changes will be made to the sector after the 12th of December, but behind the dramatic headlines are policies which will have little impact on most conscientious landlords.

Section 21 evictions are going to be abolished, regardless of who holds the keys to Number 10, but landlords should find succour in the fact that reforms to Section 8, if done correctly, may actually simplify the eviction process for landlords with a legitimate reason to seek possession of their property.

Proposed rent controls will restrict annual rent increases to inflation, however most standard tenancy agreements already cite RPI as the bellwether by which to gauge rent reviews.

All three parties are seeking to make life more difficult for ‘rogue landlords’, their message being that dutiful landlords with a keen awareness of their obligations should have nothing to fear. Proposed landlord licensing or tightening of legislation is intended to clamp down on those landlords with little care or knowledge of the law.

Whilst it is not included in any manifestos, it is still widely expected that all letting agents will be required to comply with the recommendations of the RoPA Report, which proposed mandatory qualifications and licensing for all professional agents; something which Reside already complies with by virtue of our ARLA Propertymark membership.

With changes to the sector undoubtedly coming soon, and strict enforcement of housing legislation being proposed, there has never been a better time for landlords to employ a qualified, knowledgeable and regulated letting agency.

If you are a landlord with property to rent in Bath, please don’t hesitate to contact us – we would love to help.

The General Election & The Private Rented Sector

Posted on by prateek

When the United Kingdom goes to the ballot box on the 7th of May, the electorate will cast their votes with a host of prominent issues in mind, but how will your choice of political party impact on Tenants and Landlords in England?

The key parties’ manifestos don’t make for the most thrilling reading, so we made a strong pot of coffee and scrutinised them for you.Conservatives

The Conservative Party‘s manifesto actually makes no explicit reference to the private rented sector, but focuses intently on helping more people onto the housing ladder by extending the Help to Buy scheme. Their Help to Buy ISA will aid renters trying to save up for a deposit, and they aim to build 200,000 ‘Starter Homes’ exclusively aimed at first-time buyers under 40.

As far as the lettings industry goes, the Conservatives are taking an ‘if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it’ approach. Over the past five years, the coalition has made minor adjustments to legislation to make letting agents’ fees more transparent and to increase living standards and security within privately rented properties, and they seem to feel that this has left the industry in a good position.

Labour Party 3

In this area, the Labour Party has taken a drastically different approach to their rivals. Ed Miliband is proposing a shake-up to the industry which will involve a ban on ‘unfair letting agent fees [which] will save renters over £600’. The Labour manifesto does not stipulate what constitutes ‘unfair’, but it is not clear whether this will be the blanket ban on fees that some had expected, such as the one implemented in Scotland in 2012.

Other Labour initiatives include legislating to make three-year tenancies the norm, and imposing a ceiling on ‘excessive rent rises’. As with the above policy, ‘excessive’ will presumably not be defined until after the election, but it is bound to be linked to inflation rates. Finally, Labour has pledged to ‘drive standards up’ by introducing a national register of private landlords, doubtless designed to weed out ‘rogue’ Landlords.Lib Dems

The Liberal Democrats‘ manifesto covers similar ground to that of Labour, in that it proposes standard ‘multi-year’ tenancies with rent increases linked to inflation. They also moot a ban on letting agent fees, although this would not be implemented until 2017 and would be on the condition that fees have not dropped to an ‘affordable level by the end of 2016’ following transparency requirements brought in by the coalition.

Nick Clegg has also pledged to introduce a new initiative called ‘Help to Rent’. With other parties placing sole emphasis on helping first-time buyers onto the property ladder, the Liberal Democrats would also aim to assist those struggling to save a deposit for a rented property. This would be aimed at first-time renters under 30, and would take the form of a government-backed tenancy deposit loan.

UKIP

UKIP‘s manifesto is another that focuses solely on home ownership and does not set out any major changes for Tenants or Landlords. They wish to build more affordable housing aimed at first-time buyers, and aim to bring some of England’s ‘279,000 privately-owned long-term empty homes’ back into use through increasing taxation on properties that remain empty for more than 2 years.Green

The Green Party manifesto usurps Labour’s proposals and sets out its own plans for what would be a highly regulated private rented sector. Natalie Bennett’s party would introduce a ‘living rent’ tenancy which would include five-year fixed tenancy agreements, as well as ‘smart rent control’ that caps annual rent increases to the Consumer Price Index.

Local not-for-profit letting agencies would be set up, and fees for tenants would be abolished across all agencies. A mandatory license for Landlords would be established, and alterations would be made to make buy-to-let mortgages less attractive, including removing tax incentives such as mortgage interest relief.

In Summary…

The Conservatives and UKIP seem content with the current condition of the lettings industry, and do not address private renters or landlords in their manifestos. The Liberal Democrats and Labour both outline alterations to the sector, with both parties agreeing on rent control, standard multi-year tenancies and regulation of agency fees. The most radical policies are those of the Green Party, whose plans would drastically change how renting works for tenants, landlords and agents.

On May the 7th, Britain’s political landscape may well change; it remains to be seen whether the private rented sector will also be affected.

First time landlords invest as tenant demand increases

Posted on by prateek

Bath shutterstock_101583367

A recent study by major buy-to-let lender, Paragon Mortgages, found an increase in borrowing by first-time landlords as compared to the same time period last year.

Similarly, the percentage of business coming from landlords looking to grow their rental portfolios also increased.

John Heron, director of Paragon, said: “It would seem that an investment in property is increasingly attractive against a background of low returns on cash and volatility in global markets.”

“With perceptions shifting in terms of the improved availability of buy-to-let finance too, the lending industry is in a good place to support the ambitions of both new and experienced landlords.”

Also of interest to new landlords are the increases in average monthly rental costs in England and Wales – up by 3.5% in the 12 months to May 2013, according to LSL Property Services’ buy-to-let index.

David Newnes, director of LSL Property Services, said: “With wage growth so weak compared to inflation and house price growth, it looks like deposits will become less affordable – which will keep demand for rented accommodation high.”

He added that “private renting will become a more and more vital aspect of the economy.”

In line with these findings, we at Reside are seeing local demand for properties increasing significantly. July 2013 was our busiest month ever in terms of properties let, which were up 44% compared to July 2012 and 116% compared to July 2011. New properties added to our website also rose by 33% in July 2013 compared with last year.

Given also that rent arrears and voids are in decline, according to the National Landlords Association, this suggests that now is an excellent time for new landlords to consider investing in rental properties.

You spin me right round…

Posted on by prateek

We’re always looking for new ways to show our landlords’ properties, and better ways to help our tenants decide which properties suit them. So when we came across BubblePix, producers of a brand new technology that creates 360° photographic images, we saw an exciting opportunity.

The BubblePod creates 360° images that will give our prospective tenants an honest view of property interiors – before they decide to visit.

We’re proud to announce we’ve made a small investment in BubblePix and that inventor Tom Lawton has agreed that Reside will be pioneering this exciting technology.

There are two elements to the technology: the BubblePod and the BubblePix App.

The BubblePod is a clockwork turntable that grips your smartphone and smoothly, silently rotates it by 360º.

Meanwhile the BubblePix App on your phone captures the 360º image. Users can shoot and share images in less than a minute.

Reside has agreed to act as a test bed for the early production versions. This means we’ll be one of the first letting agencies to use these images to present our properties.

Once they go into production, this will create a fantastic tool for letting agents everywhere.

To find out more about the BubblePod, click here.

Dinder House, Somerset

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Reside is delighted to present this historically renowned property for rental. Dinder House is a truly remarkable nine bedroom Georgian country house set in 23 acres of stunning landscaped and walled gardens. This wonderfully restored Grade II Listed property is arranged over four floors and tastefully combines a wealth of exceptional period features with contemporary style and comforts. Located in the peaceful and picturesque village of Dinder, just 2 miles east of Wells and 2 and a half miles west of Shepton Mallet, the property also enjoys convenient access to Bath, the M5 motorway and several highly regarded independent schools.

A lengthy private driveway winds through stunningly landscaped gardens with water features and a small, natural waterfall. The River Sheppy runs through the grounds and is traversed by an impressive bridge which predates the house. A picturesque walled garden lies in front of the house and has a greenhouse and a carefully cultivated kitchen garden. A striking church, originally Norman but rebuilt in the 14th Century, lies adjacent to the front lawn.

The house is entered on the ground floor into an elegant, semi-circular entrance hallway. This room, as with many others, subtly promotes the property’s period features; in this instance, it is the original pulley system which operated the dumb waiter from the lower ground floor that is deftly integrated into the natural fabric of the room. A bright and spacious open plan kitchen / dining room, formerly the ballroom, lies adjacent to the entrance hallway and has high ceilings, intricate cornicing and tall sash windows with a dual aspect of the extensive gardens. The kitchen has a substantial marble kitchen island, stainless steel integral appliances and a large pantry. Adjacent to the kitchen is a handsome living room with beautiful hand-painted wallpaper and a deep bay lined with tall sash windows which overlook the landscaped gardens and allow the room to be flooded with natural light. The ground floor also has a smart and stylish study, a cosy snug, a bright and spacious family room and two cloakrooms, one of which has twin basins and hand-blocked wallpaper.

The lower ground floor still has many of the house’s original features and provides a wonderful insight into ‘downstairs’ life in a Georgian household. The original stone flooring remains, as do Georgian ovens, pantries, sinks and water-pumps. The lower ground floor can be used as a separate self-contained apartment, and has a sizeable living room with an Aga, plus several additional multi-purpose rooms.

An impressive cantilever staircase leads from the ground floor to the first floor, where the elegant master suite comprises a large double bedroom, a luxuriously furnished bathroom with a clawfoot bath, twin basins and separate walk-in shower, and a sizeable dressing room. The bedroom has handsome wooden flooring, ornate hand-painted wallpaper and tall sash windows set into a deep bay which overlooks the rear garden. There are four further good sized double bedrooms on the first floor, all of which have elegant wooden flooring, tall sash windows and high ceilings. This floor is completed by a stunning shower room with a marble-lined walk-in shower and a family bathroom with a freestanding roll-top bath and feature fireplace.

The second floor can be used as a separate self-contained apartment and has a bright open plan living space at its heart. This room has attractive exposed beams, a feature fireplace and enjoys access to a small balcony from which views of the grounds can be enjoyed. A fitted kitchenette with a belfast sink and a utility room lie just off of the central living space. A further four sizeable double bedrooms can be found on the second floor, all of which have been finished to the highest standard.

To view our full album of photos for Dinder House, please click here.