Welcome to our first Newsround of February the place we see what has been trending within the housing information this week.
Landlords, have your say on serving to the disabled rental sector
As a part of the all-party Levelling Up, Housing and Communities Committee MP’s are wanting into how the non-public rental sector may be improved for disabled renters.
They’ve issued the next assertion
We’re enthusiastic about listening to your expertise of discovering or adapting appropriate accessible housing. We’re additionally enthusiastic about listening to your views of what extra could possibly be performed to enhance housing provision for disabled individuals. The responses to this survey will inform the Committee’s remaining Report.
The survey is nameless and respondents are discouraged from sharing figuring out particulars.
The survey takes round eight minutes to finish and additionally, you will have the prospect to share your experiences in individual with the Committee at ‘engagement occasions’.
You possibly can full the survey right here.
Name for brand spanking new Property Portal to point out accessibility per property
Along with MP’s wanting into higher lodging for disabled renters a incapacity rights group are additionally pushing the federal government for the brand new property portal in embody accessibility data for disabled renter.
They need the portal to incorporate what number of properties canbe simply tailored at low value in addition to the provision of grants. Additionally they need landlords to finish a questionnaire concerning their property’s accessibility.
The group state that at the moment there is no such thing as a requirement for landlords to supply primary accessibility data and solely 6% of the Disabled Amenities Grant that canbe used to adapt properties goes to personal renters.
Laura Vincinanza from Inclusion London says
With rising rents, competitors between potential tenants attending mass viewings and bidding wars, there is no such thing as a incentive for landlords to supply primary details about the accessibility of their properties. We imagine the federal government’s proposal to introduce the property portal within the PRS represents a significant alternative to embed accessibility.
Inspection, Inspection, Inspection!
Direct Line has carried out some analysis on the most typical breaches by tenants, these embody non cost of hire, unclean properties, and never reporting basic upkeep and restore points to their landlord, unauthorised pets, smoking, anti social behaviour, tampering with smoke and carbon monoxide alarms and sub letting to call however a number of!
This simply emphasises why landlords want to hold out common inspections. 55% of landlords perform six month inspections whereas a staggering 21% solely perform inspections yearly, extra shockingly solely 10% of landlords solely go to their property at the start of the tenancy.
Sarah Casey, Landlord Product Supervisor at Direct Line says
Early intervention can typically cease these from growing into a much bigger downside that requires landlords to take additional motion.
Direct Line have additionally researched that 72% of landlords should take care of belongings left by tenants after a tenancy has ended. 63% of landlords have needed to take away left garbage adopted by 56% of basic junk. 25% of landlords have needed to retailer belongings with 32% having to chase down ex-tenants to gather their belongings.
Sarah Casey of Direct Line says
Guaranteeing that your tenancy settlement has a clause regarding the disposal of things left behind by tenants is a superb first step to making sure that everybody is on the identical web page.
The common value of clearing up after a tenant is £209, whereas some landlords have needed to could as a lot as £500. This may delay re-letting your property and 34% of landlords have confirmed this. Nonetheless, encouragingly 52% of landlords had been conscious of the proper process to observe when left with a earlier tenants’ belongings.
Landlord fined for failing to supply paperwork to the Council
Landlords generally ignore correspondence and notices from their Council and will even declare that councils will not be allowed to have data due to ‘knowledge safety’.
Nonetheless, this isn’t true, as a Coventry landlord found when he ignored a Requisition for Data Discover underneath part 16 of the Native Authorities (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 1976 and a discover requiring him to supply paperwork underneath part 235 of the Housing Act 2004.
He was fined £770 for failing to answer these, together with a prices order.
So in case your Council asks for data – don’t ignore it!
Inspirational eco-village in Essex
Lastly, I noticed this text about Cannock Mill, an eco-village in Essex. It simply reveals what may be performed.
It could be good to see extra of this kind of factor. What do you assume?
Snippets
Vacation house homeowners could face greater tax payments
Half of councils don’t discuss to native landlords, probe reveals
Council reassures landlords over issues with licence programs
Labour vows to make non-public landlords undertake ‘Awaab’s Regulation’
Newsround can be again subsequent week.
