|
|
| "CAN WE FIND COMMON
GROUND……?"
by Linda Johns, Private Rented Team, Plymouth City Council. Report Finds Consensus on Private Rented Sector A new report by an independent commission, established to look at the standards and supply of private rented housing, demonstrates that there can be consensus between tenants, landlords and others about the future of private renting. Members of the commission included individual private landlords, agents, private tenants’ advisers, local authority housing advice and environmental health staff, and representatives of professional organisations and academic bodies. The Commission’s report Private Renting: A New Settlement is the result. Escalating housing costs mean there is not enough decent, affordable housing available to meet people’s needs and private renting should be able to fill the gap as it does in most other European countries. However, it is too often seen as a problem sector with conflict between landlords and tenants. Proposals to improve the viability of the sector were made in five main areas: landlords and investment; tenants and tenancies; private renting and the wider community; housing benefit; and better regulation. The report also presents a vision of a private rented sector that provides good quality accommodation to counter housing shortages and meets people’s changing housing needs. The report makes interesting reading for anyone working in the private rented sector and you can obtain a copy free of charge by telephoning Shelter on 020 7505 4699 or email info@shelter.org.uk. Plymouth City Council Consults Local Landlords In order to try and address the issues locally the Private Rented Team has regular meetings with the two landlord’s groups operating in Plymouth where information is exchanged and new developments affecting the private rented sector and private landlords are discussed. One area of current discussions and consultation is the introduction of new legislation and guidance for local authorities due to take effect in July 2003 and the need for the private rented sector to develop as an attractive alternative to Social Housing or owner occupation. The new legislation will allow local authorities to take a flexible approach to supporting urban renewal (including the private rented sector) based on local needs and priorities and encourages local authorities to develop a range of financial and other assistance including advances against the equity in a property, property improvement loans and relocation grants. Be Part of the Debate Part of the consultation process will include a questionnaire to be widely distributed amongst private landlords, including the recipients of Newslink, aimed at finding out more about private landlords in Plymouth and what kind of initiatives they would support and find helpful. The private rented sector has never been more relevant to the development of housing policy both locally and nationally. If you want your voice to be heard, complete and return the questionnaire when it arrives, contact the Private Rented Team direct or put your point of view to the Landlord’s Association. Contact South West Landlord’s Association 01752 510913 for more information.
Empty Property - A Blot on the Landscape Since its inception seven years ago the Plymouth Empty Homes Partnership, consisting of Plymouth City Council and nine partner Housing Associations, has been successful in bringing more than 1000 empty homes into use throughout the City. In the Stonehouse area alone, over 50 empty and derelict properties have been restored. Prominent eyesores in Wyndham Square, Wolsdon St, North Road West and Adelaide St, which have been transformed into high quality affordable housing for rent. The renovation and re-use of these properties is helping to regenerate Stonehouse as a whole, and restore confidence in the area for private investors. If you own an empty or derelict property that has become a burden, why not contact Jacqui Rhodes, the Empty Homes Officer on 01752–307072 to discuss your options.
FIRE SAFETY IN HOUSES IN MULTIPLE OCCUPATION A LANDLORD’S ‘DUTYOF CARE’ In the last issue of Newslink we reported on the tragic death of a tenant in a bedsit in Plymouth due to the lack of adequate fire precautions. There have also been other serious fires in properties in the private rented sector in the last year where tenants narrowly escaped with their lives – again the properties concerned were in multiple occupation and lacked adequate fire precautions. You should be aware that as a landlord or managing agent you have a common law ‘duty of care’ towards your tenants and a responsibility to ensure that the house is safe for occupation. Breach of this duty may result in tenants taking action for compensation against you in the Civil Courts. Inadequate fire safety precautions may also be considered a breach of the Housing (Management of Houses in Multiple Occupation) Regulations 1990, that impose a general duty on the manager (i.e. owner or managing) to keep the house safe and protect tenants from injury. Finally, where a death occurs and the landlord or agent is felt to have been negligent it is also possible that a manslaughter charge will be considered by the Police. The Private Rented Team carries out programmed inspections of houses in multiple occupation in order to determine whether or not a property does in fact have adequate fire precautions. If you own or manage a house in multiple occupation which has not yet been inspected by this Department you should still take steps to satisfy yourself that the property is safe for occupation. Your first step should be to obtain the
written guidance available from the Private Rented Team and find out if
you need to improve fire safety in your property. You can obtain this
guidance by contacting us on 01752 307077 or by email at private.rent@plymouth.gov.uk
If you’re not sure if your property is in multiple occupation or
not contact us for an informal chat. You don’t even have to give your
name if you don’t want to!! You know your property is in multiple occupation and you know you should be doing something – how do you find out exactly what? You can get a rough idea by studying the guidance referred to above. In order to get full details of what is needed at your property why not contact the Private Rented Team and ask for an informal inspection? An officer will visit, draw up a scheme and talk through the requirements with you. You will be sent drawings and a schedule of work to pass on to your contractors for pricing. You will be free to proceed with the work at your own pace. ARE YOUR CONTRACTORS DOING THE WORK PROPERLY? Officers of the Private Rented Team will be happy to visit whilst work is being carried out and meet directly with your contractors if you wish. One area which needs careful attention is the fitting of fire doors. The fire door is a crucial element of any fire safety scheme and is intended to hold back smoke and flames for at least 30 minutes. A detailed leaflet is available which sets out the main practical requirements of a fire door including the importance of a close fitting smoke seal and a god closing mechanism. FIRE SAFETY V SECURITY Is there a conflict between fire safety standards and improving security in houses in multiple occupation? There doesn’t need to be. In an emergency tenants need to be able to escape quickly without having to look for a key. On the other hand everyone wants the property to be secure enough to prevent unlawful entry. Entrance doors to flats/bedsits and the final exit door from the property should be fitted with locks which are both secure and can be opened from the inside without the use of a key, whether locked or not. The locks should be able to be deadlocked by use of a key externally and by operation of a thumb turn on the inside. Examples are the Yale 81 or Union 1158 locks but there are many others available on the market which combine security with ease of escape. ….AND FINALLY Once all the work is done you can get your property certificated by the Private Rented Team …. and relax!
HMO Licensing The Energy Conservation Bill, which included HMO Licensing, has run out of time in its passage through parliament and now stands little chance of becoming law. The cause of delay concerned energy conservation targets and not the section on HMO Licensing. HMO Action Areas A new HMO Action Area has been declared for the Emma Place/Millbay Road area and Embankment/Exeter St, those of you who rent property in these areas have been or will be contacted in the near future to arrange appointments to visit. The purpose of the Action Area is to focus inspections on areas containing high numbers of HMOs and complement other Local Authority activity in the area. The Millbay Road scheme runs alongside Conservation Area work and Embankment Road/Exeter Street are within the East End Renewal Area. Waste Enquiry Line The City Council has introduced a new call management telephone system to help deal with the domestic waste enquiries such as bulky waste and bank holiday collection dates. Operating hours have been extended so that staff are now available to deal with enquiries from 7.00am – 6.30pm Monday to Friday and on Saturdays mornings from 8.00am – 12 noon. The team deal with up to 500 enquiries per day so try to avoid the peak periods between 8.30 and 10am and 2 and 3 pm. Bulky waste collections can also be booked on line at www.plymouth.gov.uk. The Silent Killer Most landlords are aware of their duty to have gas appliances serviced. Carbon monoxide is known as the silent killer so your tenant will not be aware that they are being slowly poisoned. A carbon monoxide alarm is a warning indicator that could prevent a death. Why not fit one today! Plymouth Housing Advice Service The Housing Advice Service can advise landlords and tenants on a wide range of private sector tenancy issues. Contact arrangements are as follows: Telephone Enquiries – Monday to Thursday between the hours of 9.00 am and 5.00 pm on 01752 306275. Individual appointments (by prior arrangement)are available on Monday and Wednesday mornings at Windsor House. A drop in service is available on Tuesday’s between the hours of 10.00 am and 1.00 pm and 2.00 pm and 4.00 pm at The Harwell Centre in Western Approach. Housing Benefit Telephone Service for Landlords Did you know that there is a dedicated telephone service for landlords? The number is 01752 304000 and the line is open from 8.30am to 11.30 am and 2.30 pm to 4.00 pm Monday to Friday. If you are a landlord you will be asked to quote your unique reference number to confirm your identity. This number can be found on the bottom left hand corner of any cheques you receive. Housing Benefit Officers will check to see if they hold a landlord direct authority or authority to discuss before answering your query. Up to two queries at a time only will be dealt with in order to make sure the line is not tied up for long periods preventing other landlords from getting through. Landlords should be aware that only certain aspects of a claim can be discussed. GIVING ‘NOTICE TO QUIT’ The Housing Advice Service have historically had enquiries from landlords and tenants concerning the length of notice required before a landlord can apply to Court for possession of a property. Assuming a landlord is not relying on grounds for possession and notice is being served under section 21 of the Housing Act 1988 (amended 1996) to a tenant who is an Assured Shorthold Tenant, the notice must be at least 2 months long and cannot expire before 6 months from the start of the original tenancy or before the end of the fixed term. If you have any queries, please contact Housing Advice on 306275. STUDENT HOUSING News from Plymouth University Accommodation Office This year we have seen a large increase in the number of properties now available for letting to students. In a competitive market standards remain extremely high with new build and refurbished property providing quality accommodation close to campus. There are some large new developments available to our students for lease purchase or rent which are privately funded and compensate for the reduction in rooms in older halls of residence that are no longer on offer to students. In order to meet the ever rising demand for good facilities, many landlords are supplying washing machines, tumble dryers, double beds, TV’s, videos, gym facilities and internet connection as standard. There is also a demand for broad band Internet connections which is important to students, particularly those joining the Peninsular Medical School from September this year. The Student Accommodation Office looks for suitable, well-managed property that meets current fire safety standards and is located close to campus. Currently there is a shortage of small flats for two or three to share and for "home-stay" accommodation where facilities are shared in a landlord’s own home. The Student Accommodation Service is free to landlords and offers help and advice on all aspects of letting to students. Please contact us on 01752-232068 if we can be of any assistance.
Newslink is produced by Plymouth City
Council’s Private Rented Team and Housing Advice Service to |