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Property Inventories — Not Just Lists

A landlord has a lot to do at the start of a tenancy, and it can be tempting to treat the inventory as just one more tick in a box. If you’re lucky enough to have a model tenant, that might be enough — but any problem during the tenancy can make a full and detailed inventory crucial. And that can include the need for photo and video evidence. Why Are Photos and Videos Necessary for an Inventory? If a dispute sh
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One in Five Renters Finding It Difficult to Meet Their Housing Costs

A Government report released in April shows a stark picture of how households are coping with their housing costs and savings in the pandemic. The problems apply to both the home-owning and rental sectors, but renters seem to have been hardest hit. The Second Wave Household Resilience Study After more than a year of the pandemic, the Government has published a study of how households are holding up in the wake of the
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Landlords — Avoid a £30,000 Fine by Keeping Up Electrical Safety Tests

If you’re a responsible landlord, you may well already carry out EICR (electrical installation condition report) checks regularly on all your properties. From 1st April, however, this will be a legal requirement, with fines up to £30,000 for failure to comply. What Is the EICR? An EICR is the document that an electrician issues after carrying out an inspection on the electrical equipment in a property. Dependin
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Ban on Evictions Extended Again — but how Complete Is it?

On the 10th March, the Government announced that the current moratorium on evictions will be extended until 31st May, for both domestic and commercial tenancies. This is clearly good news both for people who rent their home and for struggling businesses, but not necessarily for equally struggling landlords. So, does this mean that no evictions can take place, regardless of the circumstances? The Extension of the Mora
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Payment Holidays — Do You Understand the Implications?

The financial effects of the pandemic have been severe on many of us, whether we’re acting as companies, landlords or individuals. One lifeline has been the ability to take “payment holidays” in the repayment of mortgages, loans or debts. This has been invaluable — but is it really the straightforward benefit it seems? Recent research by Resolver suggests it may not be. Payment Holidays Early in the
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Get Your Enforcement Writ in First

If you take out a writ of control against someone who owes you money, there are currently extra hurdles to get over. Besides backlogs in the court system, in some cases, bailiffs won’t be able to enter the debtor’s property. However, it’s still possible to effectively enforce a writ. You just have to be careful that you get everything right. In What Order Are Writs Dealt With? There’s an old c
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Poverty and Debt — the Legacy of Covid-19

2020 has been a difficult year in so many ways. Quite apart from the struggles of living in lockdown, the disruption has had a devastating effect on many bank balances. Two recent reports show the growing level of hardship many households are facing and the debt burden being taken on to cope with this. 30% of Households Facing Hardship Research by the Resolution Foundation suggests that incomes have fallen significan
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How Is Enforcement Being Handled During the Lockdown?

During the first Covid-19 lockdown, we were in unknown territory, and rules had to be worked out on the go. This time, we’re more used to being locked down, and regulations (many of which are much the same as for tiers 2 and 3) have been put quickly in place. And this includes the regulations for enforcement visits for writs of control, writs of possession and serving eviction orders. The Rules for Writs of Con
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PROPERTY NEWS UK

On 16th OCTOBER 2020, RYAN BEMBRIDGE headlined in the above A quarter (23%) of home-owners are worried about renewing their mortgage during the pandemic, a poll from specialist broker Willow Private Finance has found. A third (32%) said their income was less secure now than before the pandemic, while more than one in 10 (12%) had to take a payment holiday during COVID. The proportion of those feeling less financially
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Section 8 Notices

A legal expert for ARLA Propertymark has said letting agents and landlords should consider serving a second Section 8 notice if rental arrears accrue to more than six months of missed payments, even if their original Section 8 has yet to come into force. This is because of a crucial change at the six months of arrears mark, when the notice period for tenants drops from six months to just four weeks. Robert Bolwell a
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