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The SDRP will be a new statutory debt solution focussed on repayment of debt, rather than debt relief, addressing a gap in the debt solution landscape. The SDRP will include a broad range of debts, including debts owed to the government and to creditors outside of financial services and will protect debtors from enforcement action, creditor contact, and interest, fees and charges on their debts while they repay them.
The government consulted on aspects of the SDRP in 2018/19, and published a response to that consultation in June 2019, setting out a basic blueprint for the scheme.
This consultation on the SDRP sets out the policy development that has taken place since 2019. It seeks stakeholder views on three broad areas:
Full article from gov.uk; https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/statutory-debt-repayment-plan-consultation
Wednesday 3rd August 2022 – 9:00 – 4:30pm
Venue – Online
Price – £65 for members of SWLA, £75 for non – members for one day course.
Course covers ASTs, Deposits, Section 21s, Section 8s, HMOs, Gas and Electrical Safety, Inventories and much more.
The course will provide you with all the skills to start, manage and finish a tenancy.
Places still available. Contact the office on 01752 510913 or info@landlordssouthwest.co.uk to book your place, places only secured on receipt of payment.
Over 1100 landlords have already completed this course since September 2011.
Course can lead to Accreditation, if required.
We are proud to announce Landlord Accreditation South West (LASW) are founder members of the West of England Rental Standard.
**PLEASE NOTE – THIS IS NOT AN SWLA WEBINAR – PLEASE SIGN UP BY CLICKING THE LINK BELOW IF YOU WISH TO ATTEND** Martyn Taylor of Ashley Taylors Legal invites all SWLA members to the following free landlord webinar; When – 10.30am Tuesday 5th July 2022 Subject– Landlord and Tenant reforms – The White Paper Where– Zoom An introduction and overview of the changes and new grounds for possession coming up in the forthcoming new legislation intended to “level up” the PRS for tenants. It will last last the normal 35 minutes with hard hitting facts and things you need to know, prepare for and act upon in the letting industry. If you would like to sign up, please click the following registration link to register in advance; https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_Z15legn0QNC_GS2KXyOtWQ After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the webinar. Any questions in advance please email to events@ashleytaylors.co.uk The webinar is limited to 1000 attendees on a first come, first served basis.
Did you know, filing your 21-22 tax return now could reduce your payment on account for July!
Payment on Account is due for many on 31st July 2022.
By now you will have received your brown envelope off HMRC if you are due to make a payment on account on 31st July.
If you earnt less in the period 6th April 2021 to 5th April 2022 than you did in the previous year now is the time to file your return and look to reduce your payment on account this July.
Not sure – do your return now, filing early doesn’t mean paying early.
Information from Go Simple Tax
Proposals have been announced in the ‘Fairer Private Rented Sector’ White Paper, published today (16 June 2022). The Renters Reform Bill will be introduced in this parliamentary session (later in 2022). The proposed reforms go much further than we expected. The White Paper can be read here;
A Fairer Private Rented Sector (publishing.service.gov.uk)
Article from gov.uk;
Fairer private rented sector white paper to ensure improvements to the rights and conditions for millions of renters.
The fairer private rented sector white paper published today (16 June 2022) will ensure millions of families benefit from living in decent, well looked-after homes as part of the biggest shake up of the private rented sector in 30 years.
The white paper marks a generational shift that will redress the balance between landlords and 4.4 million private rented tenants. It provides new support for cost of living pressures with protections for the most vulnerable, and new measures to tackle arbitrary and unfair rent increases. This is part of a wider reform agenda to improve lives and level up the country, delivering more housing and greater protections for tenants and homeowners.
The majority of tenants enjoy safe and secure rentals, but for the 21% of private renter and households who currently live in unfit homes, this ‘New Deal’ will extend the Decent Homes Standard to the private sector for the first time, levelling up opportunities. This means homes must be free from serious health and safety hazards, and landlords must keep homes in a good state of repair so renters have clean, appropriate and useable facilities.
So-called ‘no fault’ section 21 evictions – that allow landlords to terminate tenancies without giving any reason – will be outlawed. More than a fifth of private renters who moved in 2019 and 2020 did not end their tenancy by choice, including 8% who were asked to leave by their landlord.
Measures published today also include:
In addition, the estimated 2.3 million private landlords will have greater clarity and support through the following measures:
These reforms will help to ease the cost of living pressures renters are facing, saving families from unnecessarily moving from one privately rented home to another hundreds of pounds in moving costs.
We have already taken significant action over the past decade to improve private renting, including reducing the proportion of non-decent private rented homes from 37% to 21%, capping tenancy deposits and banning tenancy fees for tenancy agreements signed after 1 June 2019, and introducing pandemic emergency measures to ban bailiff evictions.
Today’s measures will form part of the Renters Reform Bill as announced in the Queen’s Speech, to be introduced in this parliamentary session. This will deliver on our commitment to give renters a better deal and make the private rented sector fit for the 21st century with safer, more secure and higher quality homes.
Levelling Up and Housing Secretary Michael Gove said:
For too long many private renters have been at the mercy of unscrupulous landlords who fail to repair homes and let families live in damp, unsafe and cold properties, with the threat of unfair ‘no fault’ evictions orders hanging over them.
Our New Deal for renters will help to end this injustice by improving the rights and conditions for millions of renters as we level up across the country and deliver on the people’s priorities.
While the majority of private rented homes are of good quality, offering safe, comfortable accommodation for families, the conditions of more than half a million properties – or 12% of households – pose an imminent risk to tenants’ health and safety, meaning around 1.6 million people are living in dangerously low-quality homes, driving up costs for our health service.
The sector offers the most expensive, least secure, and lowest quality housing to millions of renters, including 1.3 million households with children and 382,000 households over 65. Rents are also rising at their fastest level for 5 years. This can damage life chances and hold back some of the most deprived parts of the country.
Today’s move marks the latest phase in delivering on the government’s levelling up missions, taking serious steps to halve the number of poor-quality rented homes, across both private and social tenures, by 2030.
Last week the government introduced the Social Housing Regulation Bill which means failing social housing landlords could face unlimited fines and Ofsted-style inspections.
In a major reset of power between tenants and landlords, residents will be able to demand information and rate their landlord as part of new satisfaction measures. Taken together with today’s renters reform white paper, the Bill will form a key part of the government’s mission to level up across the country and deliver on the people’s priorities.
Original article; New deal for private renters published today – GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)
Further articles of interest;
White Paper claims a fairer deal for the PRS | Propertymark
The Agent Blog – Goodlord | Fairer Private Rented Sector White Paper
Accountancy firm PKF Francis Clark is looking for properties in the South West region that are suitable for wheelchair users.
The firm is a proud business sponsor of the Government’s Homes for Ukraine scheme and is working with a charity, SMA Poland, helping those with Spinal Muscular Atrophy.
There are at least four families looking to relocate to the UK, but the biggest challenge is finding suitable homes. The firm will be supporting them financially, (although the families can access benefits) and can act as a guarantor for the tenancy.
If you have a suitable property or if you have any queries, please contact Alix Reynolds or Mandy Reynolds at PKF Francis Clark on 01392 667000.
Failing social housing landlords could face unlimited fines and Ofsted-style inspections, under the Social Housing Regulation Bill set to be introduced to Parliament. The move will mean more people living in good quality, well looked-after homes.
The Regulator of Social Housing will have stronger powers to issue unlimited fines, enter properties with only 48 hours’ notice (down from 28 days) and make emergency repairs where there is a serious risk to tenants, with landlords footing the bill.
In a major reset of power between tenants and landlords, residents will be able to demand information and rate their landlord as part of new satisfaction measures. The Bill will form a key part of the government’s mission to level up across the country and deliver on the people’s priorities.
Tenants will have a direct line to government, with a new 250-person residents panel convening every 4 months to share their experiences with ministers, inform policy thinking and help drive change in the sector.
The Bill is the latest step in addressing the systemic issues identified following the Grenfell Tower tragedy, not just on the safety and quality of social housing, but about how some tenants are treated by their landlords.
Levelling Up Secretary Michael Gove said: “In 2022 it is disgraceful that anyone should live in damp, cold and unsafe homes, waiting months for repairs and being routinely ignored by their landlord. These new laws will end this injustice and ensure the regulator has strong new powers to take on rogue social landlords. We are driving up the standards of social housing and giving residents a voice to make sure they get the homes they deserve. That is levelling up in action.”
The biggest social housing providers will face regular inspections and the Levelling Up Secretary will continue to name and shame worst offenders to make sure residents are living in good quality homes.
Earlier this month, the Levelling Up Secretary called out Britain’s biggest social landlord Clarion after the Housing Ombudsman found severe cases of maladministration.
The Bill will also mean landlords will need to have a named person who will be responsible for health and safety requirements. And tenants of housing associations will be able to request information from their landlord, similar to how the Freedom of Information Act works for council housing.
Article Abridged from Property 118
In autumn 2020, the government began a consultation on tightening MEES rules. The proposals are currently just that, and no regulations have even been drafted yet. The consultation closed in January 2021, but the results have not yet been published.
However, the main proposed changes are as follows:
The plan is to enforce this from 1 April 2025 for existing tenancies, and from 1 April 2028 for new tenancies.
The government says this would be sufficient to bring more than 90% of D-rated properties up to a C rating, as well as nearly 60% of E-rated properties. It’s not clear whether existing spending would count towards the new cap.
This would control in which order work is carried out, so improvements to the fabric of the building (ie insulation, windows and doors) must be done before additional measures such as new heating systems are installed.
The exemptions would remain largely unchanged. Additionally, the proposals recommend clarifying the rules for listed buildings and those in conservation areas, and introducing a central database of compliance and exemptions.
Mick Quick of Tech Surveys in Plymouth has recently pre-recorded a Zoom presentation for our members, he talks through the likely changes and what you can do now to prepare. If you would like to view the presentation, please contact the SWLA office and we can send you the link by email.
National Trading Standards Estate and Letting Agency Team (NTSELAT) and the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA), have stated that the use of ‘POA’ or ‘price on application’ in property listings contravenes consumer protection legislation.
NTSELAT’s was asked by the industry to provide a view on the use of POA as part of their ongoing process to improve the disclosure of material information on property listings.
The use of ‘POA’ in relation to a listing on a property portal or an agent’s website is likely to be misleading as it withholds or in some cases masks the asking price from consumers. A property’s price is information which the average consumer needs in order to make an informed transactional decision, i.e. make an enquiry about the property, conduct further research or arrange a viewing.
With support from Propertymark and other industry leaders, NTSELAT has launched a three-phase project which has been developed in response to defining what constitutes material information for property listings.
Also of note, under newly announced rules by the National Trading Standards Estate and Letting Agency Team (NTSELAT), a property’s council tax band or rate, price and tenure (for sales) must now be included on all property listings by the end of May 2022.
Article Abridged from Propertymark
The UK Government Boiler Upgrade Scheme (BUS) is accepting applications in England and Wales for grants for the installation of low carbon heating systems.
Applications from property owners are now being accepted for grants of up to £5,000 off the cost and installation of an air source heat pump or a biomass boiler, and up to £6,000 off the cost and installation of a ground source heat pump are available between now and 2025. The grant is paid directly to the installer and discounted from the price charged.
Landlords and second-home owners are included in the scheme, subject to the other conditions of a valid Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) with no outstanding recommendations for loft or cavity wall insulation being met. Grants are not normally available for new build properties (except self-builds).
While the green solutions being promoted may not be suitable in all situations, this is an opportunity for landlords to look at all the options to improve the energy efficiency of their property before becoming mandated to do so. This in turn can reduce bills for tenants and make the property a better proposition to be let out.
These grants represent a way to upgrade with a significant financial contribution from the government.
In the Spring Statement, the UK Government set out their intention to require energy suppliers to improve the energy efficiency of low-income homes, and plan to extend the minimum energy efficiency standards for the private rented sector in England and Wales.
This is linked to the Heat and Buildings Strategy launched in October 2021, and whilst BUS is an initial step to help property owners make homes more energy-efficient it is still unlikely that the energy efficiency targets for the PRS and a reduction in emissions across the property sector will be met.
For more information, see the SWLA newsfeed or visit the gov.uk website.
Article Abridged from Propertymark
Landlords across the UK will be able to apply for 75% of the cost of charging points up to £350 where they own parking areas (but must be VAT registered or registered at Companies House to be eligible).
A related scheme enables tenants to apply for a similar grant on their own behalf. However, where landlords do not meet the registration requirements, tenants can apply themselves for a grant to have a charging point installed.
The chargepoint grant replaces the Electric Vehicle Homecharge Scheme (EVHS) and as well as being open to tenants and landlords it includes:
Electric vehicles are the future
The UK Government previously announced a ban on the sale of new petrol and diesel cars from 2030. With the lack of charging infrastructure being one of the key things thought to be holding back sales of electric vehicles (EVs), landlords can now apply for grants to install EV charging points at their properties, both residential and commercial.
There are several conditions that must be met to be eligible for a grant which is being administered by DVLA on behalf of the Office for Zero Emission Vehicles, and are claimed using a manual process initially, with a digital service expected in the Summer of 2022.
Grant paid to the installer
Once an authorised installer is chosen, they apply for the grant and must pass on the discount to the landlord or tenant meeting the remainder of the costs.
Landlords can receive up to 200 grants a year for residential properties, and a further 100 for commercial properties. These may be across several properties and installations or just for one property.
Fire protection measures
The new guidance also advises landlords installing EV chargepoints to update their fire protection measures to take account of the new installations. Further guidance on how this can be achieved in enclosed parking areas is expected later in 2022.
For more information, see the SWLA website newsfeed or the gov.uk website.
Article Abridged by Propertymark
Renters Reform
Housing Minister Eddie Hughes was answering written questions to Parliament and indicated that the Renters Reform Bill that includes proposals to ban Section 21 would be pushed back (after previously stating the White Paper would be published in Spring 2022). He seems uncertain on timescales. We will update members by email, and via our bulletin once the White Paper is published.
In answer to a question from Olivia Blake, Labour MP, Hughes said: “We are absolutely committed to delivering a better deal for renters and will be bringing forward a Renters Reform Bill in this parliamentary session. We will publish a White Paper shortly that will set out more detail on our reform proposals.”
This now leaves the door open until Spring 2023.
A reminder of what is anticipated;
Rent Controls
Labour MP, Rachael Maskell, asked Hughes: “If he will make an assessment of the potential merits of applying further controls to rents in (a) York and (b) other high cost areas.”
Hughes responded on Rent Controls: ” The Government does not support the introduction of rent controls. Historical evidence suggests that rent controls would discourage investment in the sector and would lead to declining property standards as a result, which would not help landlords or tenants. Recent international examples also suggest that rent controls can have an inadvertent negative impact on the supply of housing and may encourage more illegal subletting.
“In the Queen’s Speech 2022, we committed to introducing a Renters Reform Bill in this parliamentary session. Through this, we will abolish ‘no fault’ evictions by removing Section 21 of the Housing Act 1988, providing security for tenants in the private rented sector and empowering them to challenge poor practice and unfair rent increases without fear of retaliatory eviction.
“It is important to note that currently if tenants with periodic tenancies believe the level of rent increase is unfair, they can already refer the matter to the Property Chamber of the First-tier Tribunal for independent adjudication. The Tribunal will consider whether the rent increase is in line with market rent.”
Article Abridged from Property 118 & Propertymark
Ashley Taylors Legal provide specialist services in landlord and tenant matters throughout the UK including the South West. They are also one of the leading providers of Court Advocates (attendances) in the local County Courts. For anyone interested, they have a part time Advocacy role coming up in the South West area (around Truro). Full training is given to those without experience in Advocacy. If you wish to enquire about the role, please contact Martyn Taylor – mptaylor@ashleytaylors.co.uk
If you have a possession case going to court, SWLA members get a discounted rate for Court Advocate attendance from Ashley Taylors Legal.
SWLA members – £180 plus vat (£216)
Usual fee – £210 plus vat (£252)
If you would like to book the Advocacy service, please contact 01825 766767 or newclaims@ashleytaylors.co.uk
Cost of Living Help Announced
The UK Government has launched a new £15 billion package targeted at those most in need. As living costs continue to increase, agents and landlords will want to ensure that their tenants receive all the help to which they are entitled.
Funded by a temporary tax on the profits of energy companies, the package is made up of several different components, and individual tenants may be entitled to some or all of these.
While all these payments should be made automatically to those who qualify, tenants should be encouraged to check that they have received all the payments due to them and may need assistance in following up where they have been overlooked.
ONE-OFF £400 PAYMENT
Replacing the £200 payment which was announced earlier this year, every household will now receive a £400 credit directly from their energy supplier over six months starting in October 2022. This will not be reclaimed from future bills as was the intention with the original £200 payment announced.
Direct Debit and credit customers will have the money credited to their account, while customers with pre-payment meters will have the money applied to their meter or paid via a voucher. This payment is in addition to the £150 Council Tax rebate previously announced and which is currently being paid.
£650 PAYMENT FOR RECIPIENT OF MEANS-TESTED BENEFITS
This payment will be made in two instalments in July and Autumn to recipients of Universal Credit, Pension Credit and other income-related benefits. To qualify, people will need to be receiving the benefit or have made a successful claim by 25 May 2022. The payments will not impact entitlement to any other benefits.
£300 PAYMENT FOR PENSIONER HOUSEHOLDS
Pensioner households will receive an additional £300 with their annual winter fuel payment in November or December 2022, paid directly to their bank account. To qualify, people must be aged 66 or over between 19 – 25 September 2022.
£150 DISABILITY COST OF LIVING PAYMENT
Anyone receiving a disability benefit, such as Disability Living Allowance (DLA) or Personal Independence Payment (PIP) will receive a direct payment of £150 in September 2022. To qualify, people will need to be receiving the benefit or have made a successful claim by 25 May 2022.
HOUSEHOLD SUPPORT FUND
In addition, the UK Government is providing an extra £500 million of local support, via the Household Support Fund, which helps those in the most need with food, energy and water bills. Help from the fund is delivered by local councils.
Article Abridged from Propertymark
SWLA are looking for landlords who rent homes in the Plymouth area to take part in a one hour online focus group on; Tuesday 5th July at 1pm. All participants will receive a £10 Amazon voucher.
We will be highlighting funding for adaptations for disabled and elderly tenants and discussing some of the benefits of future proofing properties for an increased market. You do not need to have any experience of adaptations, nor do you need to have a property that is suitable for adaptation.
If you are interested in participating, register your support by contacting the SWLA office, we will then send you access to the online Zoom event. Guests and non SWLA members are also welcome.
SWLA are working on this in conjunction with the Local Authority and other landlord associations including the NRLA to reach as many landlords as possible.
In store and online. Friday 10th – Monday 13th June 2022
½ Day Landlord Training Course – Legal Update 2022
Tuesday 4th October 2022 – 1:30pm – 4:30pm
Venue – Online
If you are accredited this will count towards your CPD hours, but the course is open to all.
Cost for SWLA members – £35
Cost for non-SWLA members – £40
Course will cover –
Places secured upon receipt of payment, book your place through the office 01752 510913.
Course will be instructed by Stephen Fowler from Training for Professionals.
