LETTINGSnews
LEGAL COSTS Possession cases on the rise
Recent Government statistics (May) included some interesting pointers on
INNOVATION
Finders Keepers finds schools The agency won the Gold
Finders Keepers in Oxfordshire has made searching for a home in sought after school catchment areas easier. One of the key reasons that families move into the county is for its excellent schools, many of which employ tight catchment areas for places. In the past most websites have indicated only how close a property is to a school. Finders Keepers’ new mobile site will, instead, allow users to see the school catchment area in which each home is located. The new mobile site works
across five operating systems: iPhone, Blackberry, Nokia, Android and Windows; so there is no need to download software or an ‘app’. As an addition to the comprehensive information the company collates, the information is manually input using local council school lists. The system will also list the nearest 15 fee-paying schools. Schools’ academic history can also be viewed via a direct link to its most recent Ofsted reports
and users can also calculate journey times.
Award for Innovation at the Estate Agency of the Year Awards, Commercial Director Dan Channer comments, “We regularly see huge interest from families prior to a new academic year, many of them from other areas who want to enjoy Oxfordshire and the great schools that it offers. Often their first question about a property will be concerning the catchment areas. Our new mobile site has been built to capitalise upon the popularity of internet-enabled mobile devices and make it easier for people to find what they are looking for. We recognise that people rely more and smartphone technology for information. We’re a small company but hopefully we can still have big ideas. Our new mobile site contains industry- leading ideas which will improve the rental experience for both tenants and landlords.”
www.finders.co.uk
HEALTH & SAFETY Crackdown on corner-cutting landlords
Health and safety inspectors are cracking down on DIY landlords who carry out makeshift
jobs on their properties despite being unqualified. In a recent case Glasgow landlord Mohammed Aslam was charged with breaching gas safety regulations by installing a boiler without the required qualifications. Last year 10 people died from
gas related incidents and 330 were hospitalised, according to the
44 JULY 2011 PROPERTYdrum
Health and Safety Executive (HSE). It was also reported that one in three landlords was breaking gas safety laws. Sim Sekhon, director of landlord services provider Legal 4 Landlords, which supplies Gas Safety Certificates, said, “Landlords find it tempting to do the work themselves and save a few pounds, but holding on tightly to the purse strings is not the answer when it comes to safety. Cutting corners and contravening regulations means you could be handing a death sentence to your tenants.
Put like that, it’s just not worth it. “Installing a boiler without Gas
Safe Register qualifications is illegal. Landlords have a duty to ensure tenants are living in a safe environment, by not seeking professional assistance for carrying out gas repairs and fitting boilers they are committing a crime. “Make sure you check out who
you hire to do the job too. Insist on proof the work is being carried out by a Gas Safe Registered engineer, otherwise you could, unknowingly, be committing a crime.”
the state of the private rented sector. Although the market is said to be ‘booming’ the overall national picture of security in the market has deteriorated. Across the UK, the number of court cases brought by private landlords increased year on year by over seven per cent. However the number of cases for accelerated possession has increased by 37 per cent and is back to levels last seen when the recession started. Some of the biggest
increases have been in Swindon (39 per cent), Taunton (56 per cent), Oxfordshire (11 per cent) and Sevenoaks (52 per cent). The unemployment rate remains at 7.7 per cent, the highest for nearly 20 years. Growth in the UK private sector; tipped to take up the slack from the public sector cuts has declined from 2.3 per cent to 1.9 per cent. These increasing trends
represent uncertainty for landlords and agents, and increased risk, which needs to be managed carefully, even for those that don’t have rent and legal protection insurance. If a tenant pays the rent
late an agent should discuss the situation and explain that legal action will follow if the arrears are not met. Meanwhile, serve
tenants with the necessary notices to gain possession as soon as possible whilst still maintaining dialogue. If the tenant subsequently pays, the notices can be withdrawn. If the landlord does not
have rent and legal expenses insurance, obtaining a court order for possession under section 8 and obtaining a money judgement will be expensive and take 3 or 4 months. An alternative would be to try for accelerated possession instead and accept that you pursue a money judgement once possession has been obtained. However, as Michael
Portman at Let Insurance Services says, “If landlords can be persuaded that insurance – from just £10 per month – is very worthwhile, they will be much more secure”. Agents can buy cover
through Let Insurance Services even if the tenancy has already started although any claims that occur in the first 90 days of the policy will be excluded.
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68