LETTINGSnews


tenancy deposits TDS finally talks


Sir Martin Partington, the new Chairman of The Tenancy Deposit Scheme (TDS) has told


PROPERTYdrum that he is, “Committed to transparency in fee charging.” This will be seen as good news by the hundreds of letting agents who saw a dramatic and unexpected rise in their fees earlier this year.


Sir Martin said that in order to


overcome this year’s financial crisis some “Draconian steps had to be taken just to keep the organisation afloat. Had they not, TDS would have gone belly-up.”


The new Chairman is anxious to


ensure that there will be a new fee charging system which is workable and acceptable; but it will also have to be acceptable to the Communities & Local Government (CLG), which is responsible for the whole tenancy deposit regime – and it may not happen within this financial year. Sir Martin’s appointment as


Chairman, replaces John Hornsey, who remains on the Board. There are two further major changes at


safety first New ‘one stop shop’ for gas safety


The Health and Safety Executive (HSE), with support from the National Landlords Association (NLA), launched the new microsite as a one-stop- shop to help landlords understand what they should be doing to keep tenants safe in properties they let. With six million rental


properties in the UK and an estimated 14 million people living in them, most are very safe but in 2008/09, 15 people died from carbon monoxide poisoning, due mainly to gas appliances having been badly fitted or poorly serviced. By law, all landlords are


required to arrange for a Gas Safe registered engineer to check all gas appliances and


00 JUNE 2010 PROPERTYdrum


flues within 12 months of being installed and then at least every twelve months. They are also required to complete any necessary maintenance and repairs of gas appliances, flues and pipework. Peter Brown HSE Head of


Work Environment, Radiation and Gas Division said,


“Tenants should quite rightly expect that their landlords are taking all necessary steps to ensure that gas appliances are safe. Though there are legal duties on landlords, meeting them shouldn’t be an onerous task. The new website provides all the information landlords need in one place.” Just recently an


Oxfordshire landlord


was prosecuted and fined £8000 for failing to ensure gas appliances in his rental property were safe and fit for purpose. A Cambridgeshire landlord


who failed to manage his duties and produced false gas safety records was jailed for 16 months. www.hse.gov.uk/gas/index.htm


TDS following a review of the entire operation after a disastrous Spring. Firstly, the search is now on for a Chief Executive of TDS and secondly, Lawrence Greenberg is stepping down from his role as Independent Case Examiner. Lawrence was seen by many as the CEO of TDS but this was not the case and the misconception was the cause of much of the anger from agents that nobody at TDS would talk to them to discuss their issues with the scheme and the outrageous hike in fees.


The new Chief Executive will indeed, says Sir Martin, talk to agents and be available for meetings and presentations. “The problems arose because the budgets for 2009 were set in October 2008 and calculations were made on a wing and a prayer, with assumptions about the numbers of tenancies registered and the likely dispute caseload.” The consultation for the renewal


of contracts to run tenancy deposit schemes begins in October and new contracts will be granted to commence in April 2012. “I want TDS to be the biggest and best tenancy deposit scheme,” said Sir Martin, “and the key issue is transparency in fee charging. I believe that we can transform the scheme within the current contract – indeed we must.” Sir Martin has confirmed to us that TDS will introduce a Members User Group as soon as possible and communication will be greatly improved. So the past may have been bad; the future looks better.


Log on to our website and post your comments: www.propertydrum.com/articles/tdstalks


technology


Wireless Lighthouse


Lighthouse Property Services in Lincoln is to offer tenants an exclusive free wireless broadband


service that can be used both at home and throughout the city; all on the same network. Working with local service


provider AB Internet, Lighthouse believes it is the only private letting agent to offer the pioneering wireless internet which can be used by tenants in their homes and through mobile phones and laptops on the move. Three buildings managed by


Lighthouse housing around ninety students have been trialling the new service since September.


Tenants have free internet access through mobile phones and laptops in bars as well as at college!


The plan is to now roll out the service, known as Wireless Lighthouse, with permission from landlords, to all student accommodation and then private residential homes.


This means that in addition to being able to use their wireless network at home, Lighthouse student tenants will be able to use it through their phones and laptops on the move, from a café, a bar or at college. They will also be able to access the university’s digital learning and resource portal as seamlessly as though they were on the campus itself. Tim Clark, MD of Lighthouse, added, “We have supported AB Internet and the Wireless Lincoln project from the outset and it’s fantastic that they are now working exclusively with us. We’re looking forward to rolling out the service to around 290 student properties with support from landlords and know it will help us maintain our position as one of the leading student lettings agencies in Lincoln.”


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