Signup to the SWLA
Black Friday Tradepoint Deals to be had from Friday 1st November to Monday 2nd December 2024.
Remember SWLA members also get our 10% discount ON TOP of any instore reductions.
See link below for further details and please note this offer only lasts as long as stocks do, when its gone its gone.
The Autumn Budget:
Please see attached the gov.uk link which highlights yesterdays budget.
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/autumn-budget-2024-overview-of-tax-legislation-and-rates-ootlar/841ddc37-58e0-4d3f-9b53-123e8903d274
If the link doesn’t open then please copy and paste it into your browser (e.g. Google etc)
The specific areas that may affect Landlords are as follows:
Everything regarding these issues and many more raised in the Budget, can be found in the above Gov.uk link.
If you have properties that meet the following criteria, funding is available to make them more energy efficient.
If the property qualifies for funding, grants are available for the following energy saving measures to be installed:
– Gas Boiler
– Heat Pump
– Solar PV
– Wall Insulation
If you have any questions then please get in touch with Andrew at Energy Saving Grants; 0330 223 0333
www.energysavinggrants.org
info@energysavinggrants.org
Our latest meeting at the Future Inn, Plymouth! It was great to see members old and new.
Thank you to our speakers;
Steve Cox from Alan Boswell Group, one of our trusted insurance partners. Steve spoke about the importance of getting landlord insurance right, current insurance trends and what to watch out for with the upcoming changes in the Private Rented Sector. If any of our members would like a landlord insurance quote, or have any landlord insurance queries, they are welcome to contact Steve and the team on 01603 216399. Advise that you are an SWLA member.
Martyn Taylor from Ashley Taylors Legal, who provide many of our members with tenant related legal assistance and court advocacy (with SWLA member discount). Martyn talked through the current plans for the Renters’ Rights Bill and looked at the positive parts and the not so positive parts to prepare our members for the introduction of the Act. He highlighted that it is in Bill stage, and very much subject to change. We look forward to Martyn’s future webinars on the subject once the Bill is finalised.
Cotty and Shash from TradePoint/B&Q were also in attendance with their TradePoint stand and merchandise. Cotty is the Tradepoint Sales Partner of the Crownhill store and would love to help our members with any projects or orders that they may have. Do say hi if you see her in the store.
**Our next date for your diaries is our Christmas Open Office afternoon on Wednesday 11th December from 3pm – 6pm in the SWLA office. Come along! We will send invitations by email nearer the time.**
Photo credit, Future Inns
Rebecca Smith MP for South West Devon is a long term supporter of the SWLA and has attended the SWLA Landlord Accreditation course. In Parliament on Wednesday 9th October, Rebecca spoke of the excellent landlords of Plymouth, and specifically mentioned those who are members of the SWLA.
Rebecca understands the pressures that both tenants and landlords face in the Private Rented Sector and is advocating for a fair Renters’ Rights Bill.
Here is what Rebecca said;
I speak recognising that we want, understandably, to keep tenants safe and to ensure that those in the private rented sector have the security that we believe they deserve. However, I do worry that the Government’s good intentions in what they are seeking to achieve will actually leave us with no homes left to rent, or at least a significant reduction. Having worked in a homelessness team 20 years ago, I have seen at first hand the impact on those who are evicted. More recently, as the cabinet member for homes and communities, I had responsibility for homelessness, building safety, disabled facilities grants and the cross-party plan for homes that Plymouth city council has proudly worked through over the years.
I speak for tenants and landlords. No one can be responsible for homelessness and not want to ensure that people in vulnerable situations have the best opportunities. However, I also speak for the many excellent landlords in the city that I represent part of, not least those who are members of the South West Landlords Association, whose training I participated in while I was a cabinet member. They provide the vital rented homes that the city and the surrounding areas need, the loss of which will have an impact on the very tenants we are hoping to support.
None of this Bill will be relevant if there are no homes left to rent. Rightmove is currently claiming that there are 50 inquiries for every rental property in Plymouth. We also have 365 households in temporary accommodation, with 162 of those households in bed-and-breakfast accommodation. I am sad to say that those numbers have not really moved much in the last couple of years, because of the lack of private rented property. With this Bill, we may therefore be ignoring the dangers of the impacts on those tenants in temporary accommodation.
We need to ensure that the private rented market in cities such as Plymouth and the surrounding rural areas is fit for purpose, and at the moment it is completely broken. The fact that the homes are not necessarily always fit to in live is almost the least of the problems, because again, as I have said, if there are no homes to live in, people do not have anywhere to be.
For the full transcript; Renters’ Rights Bill – Hansard – UK Parliament
