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    DO YOU HAVE AN ELECTRICAL CERTIFICATE?

    I was recently chatting to a landlord who self-managed his properties and was having a problem with one of his tenants who had fallen into rent arrears. Despite trying all they could to help the tenant, it was clear the arrears were not going to be made up and they would continue to increase.

    The landlord was picking my brain on what paperwork was required, in the event he had to go down the court route.

    It was apparent to me that he was a good landlord and had always used an agent (not Move On) to set up a new tenant for each property and then let the tenancies rollover.

    After going through the paperwork, it was clear he had not had any electrical certificates conducted on his properties and he was completely oblivious to the fact that he needed one. He was under the impression that they would only be required for new tenants moving in after April 2021 and as none of his tenants had moved out, he hadn’t instructed his electrician to do them.

    Part of the court paperwork is to include all legislative paperwork. Also in the court waiting room is a representative from Shelter, who will go through the tenant’s paperwork as well.

    I advised him to get the electrical certificates completed ASAP.

    For the avoidance of doubt:

    SINCE APRIL 2021 – ALL RENTAL PROPERTIES MUST HAVE A VALID FIVE-YEAR EICR CERTIFICATE!

    Feeling deflated? Exhausted with all the changes? Then let us take care of your property needs. We promise to hold your hand throughout this process, giving you less stress and more freedom!

    If you fancy an informal chat any time, then email me sharon@moveon.biz with your phone number.

    Sharon

    Blog Articles

    NEW RULES FOR SMOKE AND CO ALARMS IN RENTAL…

    NEW RULES FOR SMOKE AND CO ALARMS IN RENTAL PROPERTIES

    As of the 1st October 2022, changes to the regulations for smoke and carbon monoxide alarms in private rented properties are coming into force.

    Changes like these are frequent in the rental sector, and it’s vital that you as a landlord, and we as agents, are up to date on the latest legislation.

    We’ve put together a short guide below to explain the changes coming up and answer the most common questions we’ve had… Read more “NEW RULES FOR SMOKE AND CO ALARMS IN RENTAL PROPERTIES” →

    Blog Articles

    Abolishing Section 21!

    ABOLISHING SECTION 21!

    The Government’s levelling up Rental Reform white paper bill has included this in detail.

    Section 21, often referred to as the ‘No Fault Eviction’, has been a security blanket for landlords. If you as a landlord wanted your property back, then a Section 21 will guarantee you your property back.

    By abolishing the Section 21, this will no longer be the case. The tenant will be able to give 2 months’ notice at any time and the landlord must give a reason as to why they want the property back and that reason must be one of the grounds of a new updated Section 8 notice.

    If I look at the occasions we have issued a section 21 over the last 30 odd years (and there really has not been that many), 95% of the time, it was because the tenants were in rent arrears, the landlord wanted to sell his property or the landlord wanted to move back in. The new Section 8 notice will have additional grounds to cover these reasons.

    There are additional caveats to these. If you decide you want to sell the property and give the tenants notice, you must prove it was on a portal for sale and if your situation changes and you decide to put the property back up to rent, then there must be a gap of 3 months between the tenants.

    If you are seeking possession because the tenant is in the minimum 2 months of arrears and they decide to pay a nominal amount that takes them under the 2-month threshold the day before court, then you will not regain the property (as it is now), however, if the tenant does this 3 times in 3 years, the court will give the property back.

    Feeling deflated? Exhausted with all the changes? Then let us take care of your property needs. We promise to hold your hands throughout this process, giving you less stress and more free!

    If yancy an informal chat any time, then email me sharon@moveon.biz with your phone number.

    Sharon

    Blog Articles

    Nil Deposit Schemes: Everything You Need to Know

    Did you know that there’s currently £5.2 billion locked up in deposit schemes?

    At Move On, we work with flatfair to offer a Nil Deposit Option that works for both tenants and landlords. flatfair have helped save tenants over £10 million in upfront costs so far, helping alleviate the stress of moving between rental properties and the costs it can include.

    Nil Deposit Option – Information for Tenants

    Deposits for rental properties can be expensive. And with the rising cost of living, some of us simply don’t have the funds to pay an extra five weeks’ worth of rent upfront. Tenants are spending an average of £3,350 on moving costs, and most are having to pay for a new deposit before they get their old one back.

    How does it work?

    When you sign up for a Nil Deposit Option with flatfair and your offer to rent with us has been accepted, you’ll be sent a link from to go through and sign up to the flatfair platform with the plan that we have created for your tenancy. This will include paying a check-in fee of one week’s rent + VAT (or £120, whichever is greater). This check in fee is non-refundable.

    They may ask for various documentation such as your signed tenancy agreement and referencing information.

    At the end of your tenancy with us, we will still carry out a check out report to compare against the inventory and make note of any charges our landlords need to make.

    For more information, visit flatfair or enquire with us about a Nil Deposit option when you view.

     

    Nil Deposit Option – Information For Landlords

    Many landlords are cautious when it comes to alternatives to the traditional government-backed deposit schemes. However, flatfair creates new options and another route to protecting your property.

    What does Nil Deposit mean for your rental?

    With a flatfair nil deposit scheme, when tenants move in, they pay a check in fee directly to flatfair. Then, at the end of a tenancy, if there are any charges or unpaid rent, all relevant documents (such as check out reports) need to be uploaded to flatfair and tenants are asked to pay the amount agreed.

    If there is any dispute, this will be discussed through government-backed, independent adjudicators.

    Once charges are established and agreed with No Deposit, flatfair can offer up to 10 weeks’ worth of protection and put landlords back in pocket within just 10 days.

    And, if you’re managed by us at Move On, we’ll take the stress of arranging check out reports and figures for deductions off your shoulders. We’ll deal with all correspondence between flatfair and the tenants, so you don’t have to.

    Interested in finding out more about flatfair and their Nil Deposit options? Click here to read more information, or chat with us today!

    Tel: 01202 711169

    Email: enquiries@moveon.biz

     

    Blog Articles

    Ground Rent Reform on Leasehold Flats

     

    The Leasehold Reform (Ground Rent) Act 2022 received Royal Assent on 8th February 2022 and formally entered the statute books.

    The terms of the draft legislation are to tighten up the risk of unscrupulous landlords exploiting loopholes and finding new ways of getting more money out of tenants (leaseholders).

    The government are looking to reduce grounds rents to be charged ‘peppercorn rents’ as they were historically. Anyone breaching the Act can see financial fines of up to £30,000.

    Although this is great news for anyone buying a leasehold property, sadly, this will not include existing leases for the moment, but a second bill has been promised in the future to address the problems with current leases.

    Timothy Douglas, head of policy and campaign at Propertymark, said: “This legislation is progress and whilst the unsuccessful amendment to remove ground rents from all existing leasehold properties would have strengthened the legislation, it is positive that ground rent charges will now be restricted on newly-created long leases of houses and flats to an annual rent of one peppercorn, a token of no financial value.’’

    At Move On, we make sure all our landlords can sleep at night, because this is what we do every day. We make sure we are always up to date with latest legislations, and we are often ahead of the deadline.

    If you would like a free rental appraisal and fresh eyes over your paperwork, then please contact me 01202 711169 or email sharon@moveon.biz

    Sharon

    Blog Articles

    MINIMUM EPC RATING TO CHANGE IN 2025?

    The Government is in current consultation to bring forward the change in EPC ratings from E to min ‘C’ from 2028 to 2025.

    With climate change being a prominent factor in the news at the moment, the government is keen to do their bit.

    From 2025 all new builds will be banned from putting in gas boilers to drive us away from gas as a carbon-based fuel. They are looking to replace these boilers with a heat source air pump.

    The government introduced a ‘Green Homes Grant’ in September 2020, where they would pay two thirds of an invoice and the public paid one third with a cap of £5000. However, this was closed on 31st March 2021 due to various hitches and lack of skilled workforce. There is talk of them looking at another type of grant– let’s hope so!

    Landlords will not be able to issue new tenancies unless their property is rated ‘C’, just like we did with the current system when they banned F and G ratings from the rental sector in April 2018.

    The older the property, the more likely you are to be a D or E. I would highly recommend you looking at your current EPC and seeing if you have a potential rating of ‘C’ and what the recommendations are on how to achieve this.

    If they insist on landlords upgrading properties to the pump system, this could have a negative impact on the rental sector as it just wouldn’t be affordable for many landlords and the return on investment could take several years to recoup! As they say, ‘watch this space’.

     

    Have a good week!

    Sharon Canning

     

    If you would like a friendly, no obligation chat regarding buying, selling, renting or investing in property, then please email sharon@moveon.biz   or telephone 01202 711169.

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