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Newsflash!

Sajid Javid MP, Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, just shared some really good news for landlords. Well, it’s good news for those landlords doing the right thing, anyway.

In his speech to the Conservative Party Conference on Sunday 1^st October, Javid said “At the Autumn Budget (expected 22^nd November) we will bring forward new incentives for landlords who are doing the right thing.”

This announcement seems to follow on from his statement that the Government wants to “give tenants more security of tenure in their homes” and that “all landlords should be offering tenancies of at least 12 months to those who want them”.

We have yet to find out what those ‘incentives’ might be and what they’ll be for, but we’ll keep our fingers crossed for good news on 22^nd November for those landlords who are ‘doing the right thing’!

Although Mr Javid’s speech included the statement that “many landlords offer a good, secure home for all their tenants”, he also seems to want to be seen as tackling a “broken housing market” and helping “communities failed by the system”. 

He also stated that everyone should have a “right to a home that is decent and safe”.

In order to bring in “new measures to strengthen tenants’ rights” and “strict minimum standards” the Government are proposing:

• That all letting agents are regulated
• To make it compulsory for all landlords to be covered by a redress scheme with an ombudsman, so that tenants have a quick and easy resolution to disputes

The Letting People have been proud members of the UK Association of Letting Agents (UKALA) for over 15 years, which means that some of the rules the company is regulated by include:

• Abiding by a code of conduct
• Meeting a minimum qualification standard
• Having adequate client money protection insurance
• Belonging to an independent redress scheme

It seems very likely that it will become compulsory for all landlords to be regulated to these same standards. According to Caroline Kenny, Consultant to UKALA, this could mean that private landlords who choose not to use an agent will need to offer the same level of independent redress as letting agents.

Caroline also considered that this proposal “seems fair, although if the standards are to be equal across the board, this could be costly for small landlords”.

So, is it good news for you? Well, if you’re a good landlord who does things by the book, then it certainly sounds like it.

If you’re not? Well, your time may well be up come Autumn Statement time.

Need help? We’re more than happy to discuss it with you – just ask! 

In case you missed it…..

The rise of the live-in landlord

In recent years, the Government’s Rent a Room scheme has become more popular than ever before. The scheme, which currently lets landlords earn up to £7500 a year, can provide a tax-free benefit for private landlords looking to let out a single room or an entire floor within their property.

If this sounds like you, or someone you know, The Letting People can help! We have successfully let out several rooms on behalf of local live in landlords

Caroline Kempster is presented with the marketing co-ordinator award for the best group in the country at 4N networking evening event in Leamington Spa with Brad Burton present. 

The Letting People Leamington Spa team photo shoot has been completed and here is a sneak preview! Over the next few weeks the website and marketing will be updated to reveal more photos of the team.

SOLD  This, prestigious, 2 double-bedroom, luxury semi-detached house, with a private patio garden, and 1 allocated parking space, is located in a much sought-after development and is close to the centre of Leamington Spa, and within easy reach of the M40. The house benefits from a high specification breakfast kitchen, an en-suite shower-room and bathroom, excellent fittings throughout, with electric central heating, flooring throughout, double glazing, curtains/blinds to windows as shown, More information can be found on rightmove.co.uk here http://tinyurl.com/jxjhddc

Landlords! We are giving away a limited number of this book *FREE on instructing The Letting People Leamington Spa to let your property. *This is a limited offer and may be withdrawn at any time. Call us on 01926882555 to book your FREE marketing appraisal.

Do you know IF your tenant has the right to rent your property?

‘Right to Rent’ legislation (part of the new Immigration Act 2014) started on 1st February 2016 – and getting it wrong could cost landlords up to £3,000 per tenant in fines.

The new legislation brought in measures to make it easier for landlords to evict illegal tenants as well as a new criminal offence targeted at unscrupulous landlords who repeatedly fail to carry out the right to rent checks. From February 2016 landlords are therefore required to check, and confirm details of potential tenant’s visas, passports, and the compliant identification documents.

Each and every new tenant (even sub-lets or lodgers) are required to complete a ‘Right to Rent’ check  – whether or not the tenant is thought to be a British, or European Economic Area (EEA), or Swiss national.  These checks are also required each time a time-limited Right to Rent document comes up for a renewal, and/or when a visa is renewed – and the landlord is required to re-check the validity.

Copies of valid documents also need to be kept by the landlord (for 12 months after the end of the tenancy) for any spot-checks or investigations by Home Office inspectors, in order to provide evidence that these checks have been carried out correctly.

In order to assist landlords with the new Right to Rent legislation, The Letting People (working in liaison with a fully-compliant insurance and reference company) offer landlords support with recording tenant’s documents – and with automated updates on when future document inspections need to be carried out.

For more information on how to avoid a £3,000 mistake with this new legislation, landlords should contact:

Leamington Spa office 01926 882555

Milton Keynes office 01908 713000

The festivities may be over and there is an election soon but there are signs at The Letting People that the New Year has seen a busy start to the rental market. 

SOLD is spacious, 4 double-bedroom detached house with garage, carport, and attractive garden, is located close to Leamington’s town centre and in close proximity to Newbold Comyn, the leisure centre, and primary school
Offers in region of £475,000. Read more information on Zoopla here http://tinyurl.com/lycdqev

SOLD: The spacious, upper ground floor apartment, enjoys large windows and high ceilings, allowing lots of natural light and is fitted and finished to a high standard with gas central heating, good quality flooring throughout and comprises
• Steps to front door with entryphone system to communal hallway, having corridor to back of property to parking area.
More information on Zoopla here: http://tinyurl.com/k6uorkn

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