devon landlords august newsletter
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august newsletter for devon landlordsTRANSCRIPT
D E V O N L A N D L O R D S
A S S O C I AT I O N
N E W S L E T T E R
Issue: 3 August 2009
The DLA Is A Not For Profit Company
D
L
A
Page 2 Issue: 3
DEVON LANDLORDS ASSOCIATION NEWSLETTER Page 3
CONTENTS
All rights in and relating to this publication are expressly reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced,
stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means without written permission from the DLA.
The views expressed in this newsletter are not necessarily those of the DLA and readers should seek the guidance
of a suitably qualified professional before taking any action or entering into any agreement or documentation
generally in reliance upon the information contained in this publication. Whilst the publishers have taken every
care in compiling this publication to ensure accuracy at the time of going to press, they do not accept liability or
responsibility for errors or omissions therein however caused.
Committee Members:
Peter Lewis (Chairman)
John Shepley (Treasurer)
Website:
www.devonlandlords.co.uk
Exeter Office:
Queensgate House
48 Queens Street
Exeter
EX4 3SR
All Enquiries: 01803 314750
Email: [email protected]
PAGE
4 Message from the CHAIRMAN and Diary Dates
5 POST
6 Defaulting Landlords and deferred possession.
Important changes to GAS SAFETY
RICS consulting on Accreditation of values etc.
7 Check your Gas Safety Certificate
Closure Order delight
8 HCA Private rented sector initiative.
9 VAT cut urged on long term empty homes
RPTS to conduct two reviews
Delivery plan needed to upgrade all Brit Homes
10 Government response to RUGG REVIEW
11 Industry calls for treasury to support moves to
regulate landlords and Agents.
12 LHA failing both Landlords and Tenants.
Tenants push for licensing of Landlords
13 Options for joint ownership of Business properties
Coastline Housing
14 BPF Standard Tenancy Agreement
Fire safety
What is a Section 106 Agreement?
15 Illegal landlords subletting social housing
Social Housing New Model.
16 Headline points from Conservative Green paper on
Housing.
17 ‗BPR‘ How can HMCR justify its stance?
18 Protection for private tenants following repossession
19 Disability Law
20 Alcoholics could see benefits cut.
LHA
21 Dangers of cutting gas safety costs.
BPF meeting with Homes and Communities Agency
22 Landlords convicted.
23 UK Smart meters and Subjects not Citizens
24 Continuation of Mortgage Issues
Regulating Letting Agents.
25 1/3 of families in non-decent homes
Overcrowding set to soar.
26 LHA Questions in Parliament.
27 ARLA launches new consumer protection scheme
28 Average rents have increased.
29 Private tenant evicted by Council.
30 Some Estates are social concentration camps.
31 Benefit applications still too confusing
Estate Agents who tell it like it is.
32 RICS Tenant demand falls.
33 Advertising information.
Devon Landlords Association
Torquay Office:
The Chambers
141 St Marychurch Road
Torquay
TQ1 3HW
CONTACT DETAILS
Page 4 Issue: 3
MESSAGE FROM THE CHAIRMAN
This is the first Ezine/Magazine to be published since the AGM on the 3rd June but there have been a number
of events which have delayed publication, not least of which have been the various holiday dates which have
delayed the meeting of the Committee Members who were elected at the last AGM.
Three members only were elected; they were Peter Lewis, John Shepley and Stuart McNeall. This situation
has now become more critical as Stuart resigned on the 16th July at the first meeting of the new Committee.
This leaves your Association in a fairly critical situation with only two elected representatives. We need more
people on the committee to represent more broadly the views of the membership. This is an excellent Associa-
tion but for well over a year now we have suffered from a lack of people on the Committee to provide you
with the services you deserve. Christine is doing a great job in the office to deal with your enquiries and when
she is unable to resolve your problems then John and I are there to try to support you along with our team of
legal helpers.
The current Officers of the Association are Chairman Peter Lewis
Treasurer John Shepley
Please consider giving up some time to support us by becoming co-opted members even if it is only for a few
meetings until you get a feel for the issues which we will discuss. I joined as a co-opted member three years
ago and as a result have learned so much about this complex business called ‗landlording‘. It has been a real
eye-opener and now I have so much more confidence in what is an increasingly complex environment. With
only two of us in post we will be cutting our cloth according to our means, BUT we would like a few of you to
volunteer to organise speaker meetings in the coming months.
Now is a time to consider supporting the Association. Many hands make light work and the more of us who
can get involved the better. If you think that taking part will produce a great workload, then believe me, you
are wrong. We will fit what you do to what you are prepared to contribute and no more. Please contact Chris-
tine at the office on 01803 314750 with your offers of support.
Peter Lewis
Chairman DLA
DIARY DATES
As we go to press no dates have yet been decided for speaker evenings.
However, we have a number of speakers lined up for the Autumn and the
dates will be discussed and decided upon at the next full meeting of the
Committee. Since I wrote the above message we have had four members
volunteer to play a part in the activities and the deliberations of the new
Committee. With their advice and support we intend to bring a regular and
informative series of speaker meetings to you in the year ahead. If you have
any ideas for speakers then please let us know about them so that we can
consider them at our next meeting.
Peter Lewis
DEVON LANDLORDS ASSOCIATION NEWSLETTER Page 5
ILLEGAL LANDLORDS SUB-LETTING SOCIAL HOUSING £12,000 a year from sub-letting - money rarely
declared to the Inland Revenue.
The money will sometimes subsidise a more lavish
lifestyle, while the person lives elsewhere with a
partner or family. In some cases, it is even used to pay
off a mortgage on another property.
It is hard to know how extensive a problem this is.
The National Fraud Initiative (NFI) is a data-matching
operation that takes place every two years and which
can highlight cases where someone appears to have
more than one council home. But in 2006 and 2007, it
led to only 75 properties being recovered, all of them in
England.
Huge impact But these figures could be just the tip of the iceberg. A
Freedom Of Information request to London councils
alone showed they had recovered more than 560
properties from illegal tenants in the past year.
The NFI - carried out by the Audit Commission and
which also covers Wales and Scotland - cannot
highlight cases where someone might be registered to
only one council house but is actually living with a
friend or relative while renting out the property to make
a profit.
And only 49 of the several thousand housing
associations in the UK took part in the exercise.
Experts say illegal subletting doesn't seem to be a
problem in Wales or Scotland - but say there is
Experts estimate 5% of social housing properties in
inner city areas could be being unlawfully sublet.
John is one of thousands of people living in unlawfully
sub-let social housing across the UK. He saves more
than £500 a month by renting a one-bed housing
association flat from a friend and insists that he cannot
afford to pay market rates. Just this week the National
Housing Federation predicted that the waiting list for
social housing would top two million by 2011. Does
John not feel guilty?
"On a selfish level, I haven't got anywhere to live
either," he said, "And I justify it by that. It's not the
ideal or the best situation but that's how it is. It's not
something I just did and thought, 'Sod people who were
in a more desperate situation than me.' But I was in a
desperate situation myself."
Market rents No-one is making a profit from John's arrangement. He
just ensures that the rent and council tax are paid each
month, while his friend is living abroad with a
girlfriend.
But not everyone is like John. Many others - from
illegal immigrants to wealthy young professionals - are
unwittingly renting social housing property, thinking
the landlord rightfully owns it.
In these cases the landlords are often making huge
amounts of cash from sub-letting their property at
market rates.
In some inner city areas people can make more than
HOMES AND COMMUNITIES AGENCY TO CONSIDER NEW SOCIAL
HOUSING MODEL from part of a prospective development would make
investors more willing to commit to the whole scheme.
The approach would also create mixed tenure schemes,
rather than the single tenure estates that would be built
if the HCA simply pumped its money into conventional
social housing, the source said.
But the source acknowledged that introducing such a
scheme would be controversial, as it would be unable
to guarantee tenants that they could stay in their homes
for life, a right possessed by existing social tenants.
Under such a scheme, the private owner would lease
the homes to the HCA for a fixed period, after which
they would revert to private ownership. "It would break
the link between subsidy and bricks and mortar," the
source said.
Chartered Institute of Housing policy director Richard
Capie said new forms of affordable housing tenure
needed to be explored, but such an arrangement could
prove problematic. "What safeguards would be put in
place to ensure social tenants do not have the rug pulled
from under their feet (when the lease ends)?" he said.
From Regeneration Newsletter
New types of social housing contracts that would not
give new tenants the right to remain in their homes
for life are being considered by the housing and
regeneration super-agency.
The Homes & Communities Agency (HCA) is
understood to be looking at the contracts as it seeks
ways of persuading major financial institutions to build
homes for rent.
Speaking at a dinner at the Mipim property conference
earlier this month, hosted in association with
Regeneration & Renewal, HCA chairman Robert
Napier said the agency was exploring whether it could
revive house building by persuading institutions to put
their money into homes for private rent. Major
institutions invest in private rented housing elsewhere
in Europe, but rarely if ever do so in the UK.
In a bid to reduce the risk to such institutions of
investing in such schemes, the HCA is understood to be
exploring whether it could lease homes off them for use
by middle income tenants paying subsidised rents, or
low income tenants paying social rents.
According to a source who is aware of the discussions,
the HCA believes that the promise of a guaranteed rent
Page 6 Issue: 3
The property industry is broadly supporting a joint
campaign recently launched to protect tenants who face
sudden homelessness because their rented
accommodation is repossessed, but issued a reminder
that it was often the non-payment of rent that caused
landlords financial problems in the first place.
Shelter, Citizens Advice, Crisis and the Chartered
Institute of Housing (CIH) are calling for a change in
the law that would mean courts would have the power to
defer the possession to allow the tenant to find other
suitable accommodation. As the law stands, most
tenants whose landlords are repossessed have none of
the legal rights that usually protect tenants from losing
their homes without notice. Advisers report seeing cases
where the first the tenant knows about the situation is
when they come home to find bailiffs in their home.
When looking at the potential problem of repossession
for private tenants, the Council of Mortgage Lenders
(CML) believes it is important to distinguish between
different groups of occupiers.
The largest group of private tenants will have a landlord
who has taken out a buy-to-let mortgage. If the landlord
fails to keep up their mortgage payments, a lender will
often put in place a receiver of rent to accept the tenants‘
rental payment for the lender instead. CML figures
show this is a widely used approach by lenders to private
landlords in the Buy to Let market, and it avoids the
need for court action for possession during the tenancy
period.
The second group of customers are those tenants who
are unknowingly renting properties under owner-
occupier mortgages without the lenders‘ knowledge or
consent. The CML shares the concern of advice agencies
that these customers can be disadvantaged through no
fault of their own.
CML director general, Michael Coogan said: ―Everyone
sympathises with those tenants who are paying their
rent, and fulfilling their obligations, but who find that
their landlord has not been paying their mortgage and
not told their lender that they are renting out the
property. ―Good tenants should not be disadvantaged,
and nor should lenders, by the irresponsible behaviour of
a small minority of landlords. We look forward to
working with the government and advice agencies on
effective measures to help the modest number of tenants
affected.‖
From Residential Landlord website
COURTS ASKED TO DEFER POSSESSION OF RENTED ACCOMMODATION IF
LANDLORD DEFAULTS
RICS CONSULTING ON ACCREDITATION OF
VALUERS AND FEES The Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) is
seeking views on the possible introduction a specialist
accreditation and regulatory scheme for RICS valuers.
The purpose of the scheme is to clarify the competence
and standards of RICS valuers, with RICS proposing
that only those who join the scheme will be able to
market themselves as RICS accredited valuers.
The consultation proposes that the scheme will apply to
all RICS valuers undertaking valuations in accordance
with RICS Valuation Standards and will be made
mandatory by 2010.
The full consultation document can be found on the
RICS website. Responses are invited before 12 June
2009.
In another consultation, RICS is also seeking views on
the transparency of fees charged by professionals
working in property.
It is particularly keen to gather information on
declaration of insurance remuneration and commissions,
service charges in leasehold property, commission on
letting renewals, valuation fees and arrangement of fees
for security loan valuations.
The present consultation is very much an information
gathering exercise, with RICS keen to ascertain more
than anecdotal evidence of the transparency of fees and
identify areas for best practice.
Details of the consultation can be viewed on the RICS
website. The deadline for responses is 17 July 2009.
From the BPF
IMPORTANT CHANGES TO GAS
SAFETY From 1st April 2009 the Gas Safe Register has replaced
CORGI gas registration and is now the official industry
stamp for gas safety. It is law that anyone carrying out
gas work that is within the scope of regulations is on the
Gas Safe Register.
The Gas Safe Register is also to be used for a range of
gas safety campaigns so you will start to see it more and
more. The Health and Safety Executive, responsible for
regulating gas safety in Great Britain, will oversee the
Gas Safe Register.
So please remember, if you have any gas appliances at
your premises, be they mains gas or LPG – boilers, fires,
catering or laundry equipment – it is now law that
anyone carrying out servicing,
annual safety inspections,
replacement or installation
work is on the Gas Safe
Register.
If you would like to know
more about these changes and
how they could affect you,
please contact QES on 01726
891 981 and we will be
delighted to help.
DEVON LANDLORDS ASSOCIATION NEWSLETTER Page 7
CHECK YOUR GAS CERTIFICATE TODAY! QES today on 01726 891 981 and one of our team will
be delighted to assist.
All QES engineers are on the Gas Safe Register so
please act today. It could be the most important call you
make all year.
Andrew Howell
Marketing Manager
QES Ltd.
www.qes-ltd.com
Mobile: 07766 167 465
Office: 01726 891 981
Fax: 01726 891 929
A landlord of two properties has been jailed for three
months for breaching health and safety regulations by
failing to provide an up to date record of gas safety for
his premises.
Geoffrey Knipe, prosecuting for the Health and Safety
Executive said ―None of our requests were complied
with and no checks had been made to ensure the gas
installation was safe‖.
On top of the jail sentence the landlord was also fined
£24,480 with costs of £13,481.
―Aside of any maintenance highlighted by an inspection,
these checks should have incurred a minimal cost‖ says
Mike Quest, managing director of water hygiene and gas
safety company QES. ―Unfortunately this isn‘t an
isolated case and I think that the scale of the sentence
and fines shows the intent with which the Health and
Safety Executive are tackling this issue‖.
It is important to note that all landlords are legally
obliged to ensure that gas safety certificates are up to
date. If you would like any advice or assistance with
your gas safety and compliance obligations please call
CLOSURE ORDER DELIGHT smashed.
Mrs Thomson claimed there were also drugs and alcohol
problems and that a dealer used to knock on the door,
while ambulances called regularly two or three times a
week.
Another neighbour, Kate Partridge, said it had been a
n i gh t ma re s i nc e t h e pa i r mo ve d in .
‗I do not think I have seen them sober since they moved
here. They do not have any respect for noise, they are
constantly slamming doors and cupboards and you hear
them threatening people on the phone.
‗I had a double glazed front door, a reinforced security
chain with five extra bolts and double glazing installed.
‗When Jane‘s glazier began work on her broken
windows they threatened to beat him up,‘ claimed Ms
Partridge, who works in the Highways Agency control
room.
Because the two women were afraid to venture out if the
two men or their visitors were around, they used to
phone each other to say the coast was clear or otherwise.
‗It has just been terrifying. You could tell when things
were about to turn nasty.
‗It used to be a quiet place to live and we are looking
forward to it being like that again. I do not think it has
really sunk in yet,‘ said Ms Partridge
The two women had a special word of thanks for Andy
Davies, Teignbridge Council‘s anti social behaviour
officer and the police.
‗We are very fortunate that they have put in so much
hard work to get this resolved,‘ they said.
From Newton Today
NEIGHBOURS spoke of their delight this week after
hearing that two men had been thrown out of their rented
Dawlish flat after a groundbreaking Police Closure
Order.
For more than six months residents in Oak Park Villas
were subjected to a life of misery by David Johnson, 30,
Simon Goy, 35 and their visitors.
On Tuesday, South Devon magistrates sitting in Newton
Abbot agreed to impose a closure notice for six weeks –
the joint first in Devon alongside another in Plymouth on
the same day.
Soon after the hearing, police and Teignbridge Council
staff went to the premises, allowing the two men to
collect personal effects before the locks were changed
and the windows and doors boarded up.
Both Johnson and Goy have left the district.
Recalling the nightmare, Mrs Thomson, a dispenser, told
this paper that, as well as the windows, her front door
was boarded up and they moved into the bedroom
furthest away from the two men‘s flat, which was the
only room left with light.
‗Until they moved in next door we had no problems. It
was a lovely quiet place to live and all the neighbours
used to go out into the garden and socialise,‘ she said,
adding that it stopped because of the havoc they were
causing.
She said their windows were smashed, vehicles
vandalised, the two men‘s kitchen windows were
broken, loud music was played – sometimes all through
the night – there was a lot of fighting between the two
and recycling caddies were thrown off the balcony and
Page 8 Issue: 3
On 1 May The Homes and Communities Agency (HCA)
launched an expression of interest process for a new
initiative, which could potentially attract significant
investment into the housing market by encouraging
institutions to fund new homes specifically for private
rent.
The objective of the HCA‘s Private Rented Sector
Initiative (PRSI) is to create an opportunity for investors
– like pension funds – to enter the private rented sector
on a large scale for the first time. At a point in the
economic cycle where there is strong investor appetite
for low risk investment, focused on income distribution
and a longer-term investment horizon, many believe that
this is the perfect time to expand the private rented
sector. The initiative will form a key part of the package
of proposals at the heart of the Government‘s
forthcoming response to the Rugg Review of the private
rented sector.
The HCA is seeking to work with financial institutions
and other investors to develop a long-term funding
model for new private rental housing in England. It is
anticipated that the potential investment could come
from sources such as pension funds or overseas investors
which have not traditionally been involved in UK
residential letting.
The PRSI could have the potential to help kick-start
stalled schemes and lead to a significant increase in high
quality new homes for rent, managed in a consumer
focused way, which would in turn help to make private
rental an option of choice for consumers and relieve
pressure within the housing market.
Sir Bob Kerslake, chief executive of the Homes and
Communities Agency, said: ―Our initiative is one of
many innovations we have used to attract new
investment, kick-start stalled housing schemes and
mitigate against the effects of the market downturn.
―To date, achieving scale has been one of the main
barriers to attracting institutional investors into the
housing sector. We believe there is an opportunity now
for the HCA to work with developers and house builders
to offer a pipeline of projects for the PRSI, which could
result in a positive outcome for all stakeholders.
―But it is only potential at this stage. We will engage
with the private sector to develop a market driven
proposition which is attractive to investors. Projected
rental yields and the current market suggest that the time
is right, and that is why we are engaging with the market
to develop the proposition further.‖
The principal focus for the HCA‘s initiative is to
facilitate the building of new homes for rent, but with
the potential to consider recently built homes as ―seed
assets‖. It is envisaged that such new funding will
invest in homes predominantly for private rent, with the
possibility of supporting a smaller component of
intermediate rent. The investment return profile of the
initiative is therefore primarily income focused, with the
potential for longer-term capital growth.
The HCA will consider support it can give to ensure that
new investment into the sector is viable, which may
involve some form of limited financial support to
stabilise the portfolio and create confidence for investors
during the initial years.
It is anticipated that development risk for schemes
supported by any new investors would remain with the
house builders. Crucially, the PRSI could provide a
source of pre-sales for projects with suitable product,
which in turn could help to reduce the speculative nature
of house building and unlock funding on stalled
schemes.
Liz Peace, chief executive of the British Property
Federation, said: ―This paves the way for a new kind of
private renting that could support new development as
the housing market recovers and offer the public real
quality and choice in private renting, at little or no cost
to the taxpayer.
"The task now is to stimulate interest in the HCA‘s
proposals, encourage some innovative bids and ensure
that we create some attractive proposals that provide
solid returns for investors and more importantly, tenants.
To make this work, we do need to reflect on the different
financial structures of private rented housing, ensuring
that we do anything we can to draw in this vital new
funding.‖
The HCA has appointed DTZ as a specialist property
advisor. The full EOI document is available to
download from the HCA website or from the CRLA
website (www.crla.org.uk).
From the BPF.
HCA LAUNCHES A PRIVATE RENTED SECTOR INITIATIVE
DEVON LANDLORDS ASSOCIATION NEWSLETTER Page 9
LACORS and the LGA have written to the Chancellor,
Alistair Darling, calling for VAT on empty properties to
be slashed to five per cent. This could help encourage
owners to bring some of the 300,000 long term empty
homes back into use.
In the letter, the Chairman of the Local Government
Association, Cllr Margaret Eaton, called for the
introduction of a standard VAT rate of five per cent on
the refurbishment of homes that have been empty for at
least six months.
Currently, VAT is reduced to five per cent after a
property has been empty for two years. It is estimated
that by reducing the period to six months, thousands
more homes could be brought back into use and the
government would benefit from the increased revenue
this could generate – effectively making the proposals
cost neutral.
From LACORS
CHANCELLOR URGED TO CUT VAT ON LONG TERM EMPTY HOMES
A delivery plan backed by financial incentives to
upgrade all Britain‘s homes by 2030 needs to be put in
place now, says the Federation of Master Builders
(FMB) in its response to the Government‘s draft Heat
and Energy Saving Strategy consultation.
Brian Berry, Director External Affairs at the FMB said: ―The Government‘s aim to upgrade all Britain‘s
homes by 2030 won‘t succeed unless the financial
incentives are put in place to create a new market for
greener, more energy efficient homes. Householders
have still to convinced of the merits of spending
thousands of pounds on energy efficient improvements
with little prospect of seeing a return on their money.
―If the Government is serious about its commitment to
upgrade our homes it needs to introduce some financial
incentives such as cutting VAT to 5 per cent for home
improvements; council tax rebates and/or the
introduction of green mortgages.‖
Berry added: ―Britain could learn from Germany which
lends money to local banks who provide ten year loans
to people who want to retrofit their home. In 2007, the
German Government lent 850 million Euros which
resulted in 5 billion Euros of retrofit. On this basis the
UK could achieve the transformation of the private
housing stock for around £1 billion a year of government
money.‖
He concluded: ―More detailed information is also needed
to help householders understand the entire process of
retrofitting homes from start to finish. At the moment it
is difficult even for the most enthusiastic to know what
can be done to make their homes more energy efficient.
―Better use of EPCs would be a good start as would the
creation of a national database of EPC ratings to help
understand the overall condition of Britain‘s housing
stock and assess where help is most needed.‖
From Housingnews.co.uk
DELIVERY PLAN NEEDED TO UPGRADE ALL BRITAIN‘S HOMES
LACORS met with the RPTS on 23 March. At that
meeting they announced that they will conduct two
reviews, later this year, to look at administrative
(procedural) issues and at legal issues.
The RPTS Board will be considering a paper, with
recommendations for the reviews, at its June meeting. It
is hoped that these reviews will lead not only to more
consistency in procedures but to standardisation of
forms, etc. LACORS hopes to arrange a further meeting
with the RPTS President during the summer, to discuss
local authority input into both reviews, and we will keep
colleagues posted.
From the BPF
RESIDENTIAL PROPERTY TRIBUNAL SERVICE TO CARRY OUT TWO REVIEWS
BOOKEEPING
WHY HAVE THE WORRY OF KEEPING YOUR AC-
COUNTS IN ORDER, LET ME HANDLE THEM PROFES-SIONALLY
AND CONFIDENTIALLY.
ALL ACCOUNTS ENTERED AND COLLATED READY TO
GIVE TO YOUR ACCOUNTANT AT YEAR END WILL
SAVE YOU A CONSIDERABLE AMOUNT OF MONEY AND TIME.
OR PERHAPS YOU JUST HAVE HOLIDAY RENTALS AND
WOULD LIKE A DETAILED YEARLY ACCOUNT OF IN-
COME.
Secretarial services also available.
Tel: Christine 01803 314750 for more informa-
tion
Page 10 Issue: 3
GOVERNMENT RESPONSE TO RUGG REVIEW The full response document is available to view on the
CRLA website but a few bullet points prepared by BPF
follow:
The response is a document which does not
comment on all of Rugg‘s recommendations but
the statements set out a basis for further work.
They are a ‗starting point‘.
Government wishes to see a strong PRS and does
not want to regulate the sector too highly.
A national register of private landlords will be
established – we already know this.
All tenancies should take the form of written
agreements.
Assured Shorthold Tenancy threshold to be raised
to £100k.
Full mandatory licensing of private sector letting
agents and managing agents will be introduced.
Investment in the sector to be guided by the HCA‘s
Private Rental Advisory Board (Liz Peace (Chief
Executive of the BPF) has been invited to sit on
this).
Regarding the tax changes put forward by Rugg –
the statement is that they are ‗aware of the
proposals, and will continue to keep them under
review‘.
The government will aim to create a more
sophisticated understanding of the sector and there
will be research to better understand how the sector
operates.
Local authorities should be encouraged to explore
ways in which to improve their engagement with
landlords in the PRS (lots of recommendations here
including for them to include the PRS in local
housing strategies).
Each Local Authority should develop a more co-
ordinated approach to securing private sector
tenancies for low income households.
The government aim to improve the coverage for
accreditation schemes.
There will be a separate consultation on whether to
change the planning rules on HMOs – a sop to the
‗studentification‘ lobby.
The government will establish several ‗task and
finish groups‘ to look at specific issues identified in
the consultation.
From the BPF
DEVON LANDLORDS ASSOCIATION NEWSLETTER Page 11
INDUSTRY CALLS ON TREASURY TO SUPPORT POSITIVE NEW MOVES
TO REGULATE LANDLORDS AND AGENTS The British Property Federation (BPF) has reacted
positively to the government‘s response to last year‘s
review by Dr Julie Rugg of the private rented housing
sector.
Thoughts and quotes on specific areas of interest to the
property market are outlined below.
There is no mention of the proposed reforms (cuts) to
housing benefit which will now be consulted on after the
elections.
For more info call Andrew Teacher at the BPF on 020
7802 0113.
GENERAL RESPONSE
Positive, but measures will only work with support from
other gov’t depts.
―The government now seems willing to grasp the
opportunities of putting home rental on a more
professional footing. Officials have shown they are
serious about forming a strategy for the sector and
supporting a more business-like approach. This can only
be a good thing.
―The BPF has long called for licensing of letting agents
to protect landlords and tenants alike. It‘s in our interest
to protect tenants, because ultimately our members‘
business depends on their reputation. We welcome the
fact that the government now shares the consensus to
make it happen. However, unless other government
departments – specifically the Department of Work and
Pensions and Treasury – show their support it won‘t
happen.
―A coherent package and an effective registration
scheme for landlords is vital, but until we get that
support we will not know how far this goes towards the
vision and strategy the sector needs.‖
STUDENTIFICATION
NIMBY’s charter shown to be only tiny issue, any reform
would harm poorest students
―Rugg illustrated that out of 8,000 English wards, 59 had
densities where student housing comprised more than 10
per cent of all households. It‘s hard to see how the
government intervene through the planning system to
tackle this small issue without riding a coach and horses
through its own regulatory principles. It would need to
discard the very rules that ensure legislation is targeted
and proportionate. Doing so would put a significant
constraint on the provision of very affordable
accommodation which would hit the poorest students the
government insists it wants to help get to university.
―Rugg stuck the first nail in the coffin of this NIMBY
campaign to deprive the worst off in society of
somewhere to live. Through this consultation it is about
time we now sealed the lid shut.‖
LICENSING OF LETTING AGENTS
Welcome move which we hope will lead to protection for
everyone soon
―This is a welcome boost for the BPF‘s campaign to get
proper protection for landlords and tenants. There are
some excellent agents out there who are members of
professional bodies, such as the ARLA, RICS, or the
industry accreditation scheme, NALS. Use of such
agents ensures that landlords‘ money is protected and
tenants have access to independent redress. We want all
landlords and tenants to have such protections and hope
that a swift move to licensing of all letting agents can
now result.‖
REGISTRATION OF LANDLORDS
Cautious welcome, but success is reliant on a joined up
approach from govt which isn’t obviously there at this
stage
―We are cautious of backing these reforms until we see
clear support from all government departments. We have
backed the concept of landlord registration because
Rugg's thoughtful proposals were for the policing
mechanisms to link up with various transactions
landlords have with the government. By linking the
regime to things like benefit claims, access to the courts
and tax returns, an effective system could be ensured.
But it‘s hard to see from this paper that Rugg's
recommendations carry the uneqivocal support of other
government departments and until that is forthcoming
landlords cannot confidently offer their backing. ‖
TAXATION The tax system is a web of contradictions that are
currently undermining UK housing policy
"The fiscal framework for landlords continues to be full
of contradictions. The government has been advised to
put the private rented sector on a business-like footing,
yet doesn‘t tax landlords like a business. Ministers now
seem keen to encourage institutional investors into the
sector, yet still wants to tax them unfairly for stamp duty
purposes (gaining virtually nothing), potentially
undermining the very concept of significant housing
investment coming forward. The government wants
decent homes, yet charges full VAT on repairs and
maintenance, even although European law allows for
flexibility to charge lower rates, encourage more work,
higher standard and more jobs. None of these
contradictions make any sense at all. There is some
excellent support for landlords from CLG in this
document, but landlords will feel that other Government
departments are simply not stepping up to the plate."
THE LAW COMMISSION WORK Fully supportive, and launching free agreement at
www.bpfagreements.org.uk
―Having a clear, fair, written tenancy agreement may not
seem like the most toe-tapping of subjects, but it‘s the
bedrock on which a decent sector is built. The BPF has
put its money where its mouth is and is launching a
tenancy agreement that focuses on spelling out clearly
the rights and responsibilities of landlords and tenants. It
can be accessed by anyone for free from
www.bpfagreements.org.uk In this day and age of easily
(Continued on page 12)
Page 12 Issue: 3
accessible forms no one should be relying on an oral
tenancy agreement and we remain very supportive of
the Law Commission‘s work to put tenancies on a more
consumer law footing and are therefore pleased to see
this aspect of its work being taken forward."
From the BPF
(Continued from page 11)
TENANTS PUSH FOR LICENSING OF LANDLORDS had not said how they planned to turn the
recommendations into policy. ‗The last survey of
English housing showed what problems remain in the
private rented sector and we know that the current
model of local authority enforcement alone can never
tackle them in any reasonable time frame,‘ he said.
‗There is broad agreement on some of the Rugg
proposals and whilst we need a lot more discussion on
some of the details we need to push this agenda
forward – and fast.‘
From Environmental Health News
Impatience at the lack of progress on the licensing of
private landlords was aired at a private sector housing
conference organised by Camden Federation of Private
Tenants last week.
The government-commissioned Review of the private
rented housing sector, by York University‘s Dr Julie
Rugg and David Rhodes, was published last October. It
called for the licensing of private landlords and the
mandatory regulation of letting agents. Dr Rugg
expressed frustration at the meeting over the lack of
movement on the recommendations.
Kevin Thompson, CIEH policy officer, said ministers
LOCAL HOUSING ALLOWANCE FAILING BOTH LANDLORDS AND TENANTS
Local Housing Allowance (LHA) was introduced for
new tenancies in April 2008 when it replaced the old
housing benefit system. Under the new rules, instead
of rent being paid directly to private landlords to cover
housing costs, it now goes straight to the tenants.
In practice, research has shown many tenants are
failing to pass on these payments to landlords. This is
causing major problems. In the most serious cases,
landlords are facing repossession because rent money
does not arrive. The research shows that 52% of
landlords surveyed have decided they would not let, or
be ‗less likely‘ to let, to LHA tenants. A further 43% of
those landlords who have already tried the new system
said they would now be leaving this failing market
because of increased uncertainty about rent payments.
The NLA believes the LHA is now actively
contributing to a shrinking of housing supply for
benefit claimants, and more pressure is being placed on
social housing. As always, this will affect the most
vulnerable tenants and increase homelessness. With a
forecast £2.6 billion being spent on LHA during
2009/10, the NLA is calling for immediate action.
Currently, a landlord must wait for eight weeks of rental
arrears before the local authority can take action and an
automatic ‗trigger‘ pays the rent directly. In reality, arrears
can be as long as three months before the landlord receives
their first payment. If the landlord chooses to try and
reclaim the lost money, they must pursue the tenant
privately through the courts.
Contrary to the Government‘s intentions, LHA tenants now
have less choice as landlords opt out of this part of the
market because they simply cannot afford to house the
most vulnerable tenants. If the Government is not going to
return to direct payments to landlords, the NLA is today
calling for the ‗trigger‘ to be reduced to four weeks before
direct payment kicks in. If landlords are opting out of this
part of the market, where will these families go? The
situation is now becoming very serious.
―Empowerment is about giving people the right to choose.
The current situation is not sustainable and the
Government must act to ensure that LHA tenants are not
further disadvantaged.‖
From Residential Landlord website
DEVON LANDLORDS ASSOCIATION NEWSLETTER Page 13
WHAT ARE THE OPTIONS FOR JOINT OWNERSHIP OF BUSINESS
PROPERTIES?
Let's look first at the reasons for joint ownership?
To reflect actual ownership and business
involvement
To help with Capital Taxes and Income Tax, by
making more tax free allowances available to set
against Income Tax, Capital Gains Tax and
Inheritance Tax, and reducing the values by
fraction of discounts (e.g. a 50% stake could attract
a value discount of up to 15%)
To assist with business succession planning –
creating separate stakes that can be dealt with as
gifts or, on death, independently from shares of
other co-owners
For certainty e.g. on a breakup in a marriage or
civil partnership, joint ownership is an official,
binding record of stakes in an asset's value for
settlement purposes. A sole owner in a long
marriage and business relationship with a spouse,
will not be able to use that sole ownership to
defend the spouse's claims. The spouse's stake
exists because of the long relationship and the row
will be over how big that stake is. This is a dispute
which could be avoided by the clarity of defined
fractional, joint ownership.
To assist when a joint owner dies. Property owned
by two or more people as "joint tenants" means that
when one dies, no Probate formality is necessary to
transfer the dead owner's share to the others. No
Will is needed – the deposit of a Death Certificate
with the Land Registry, achieves the changeover,
without any fee. Speed can be vital after the sudden
death of a business partner, for example, in dealing
with the continuing availability of banking
facilities. Joined ownership as "tenants in common"
does not work in this way.
So there are five good reasons favouring joint
ownership.
What type of joint ownership will be relevant in a
business context?
"Joint Tenancy" – up to four people can be
recorded as the owners of one property in Land
Registry terms, but a joint tenancy on business
assets is most commonly used in husband and wife
run businesses or businesses run by registered civil
partners: this is because of the ease of dealing with the
share on death or divorce as I have mentioned earlier.
"Tenancy in common" – this is joint ownership in
separate, defined fractions – where the fractional stake
passes by Will on death, through Probate, and not
quickly and automatically as with joint tenants. This
type of joint ownership will often reflect unequal
contributions to the asset purchase in the first place,
and an agreed division therefore, on realisation. A
Contract should be signed by the owners, at the outset,
to record their stakes ("Declaration of Trust"). Such a
Declaration can be used to change those stakes, with
relative informality, and not involving the Land
Registry. A Partnership Agreement can also be used as
a Declaration on the ownership of partnership assets,
including land, and in the same way, can record
change, quite simply and quickly.
A Trust may also be created by a Will, when the
person who made it dies. E.g. a farm or working land
and estate may be left by a husband upon Trust for his
widow for the rest of her life, to pass out of the Trust
to his children on the widow's death. The aim here will
be to protect a sizeable family asset, probably an
inheritance itself, from being lost through a widow's
remarriage.
You will need to consider all these terms, options and
factors in discussing with your advisors how best to
arrange the ownership of the big value assets used in your
business.
David Charlesworth
Michelmores Exeter
COASTLINE HOUSING Carly Wilkes of Coastline Housing has contacted me to
ask for a list of landlords and letting agents in the
Cornwall area,
If you are willing to work with Coastline could you
please contact Carly,
Email: [email protected].
Ruth Clarke
Page 14 Issue: 3
BRITISH PROPERTY FEDERATION
STANDARD TENANCY AGREEMENT addresses, on the site so you do not have to fill them in
every time.
If you want to you can sign up to the BPF's residential
code of conduct.
I think it is well worth a look. Even if you are half
computer literate it is straightforward to use and the
tenancy agreement itself is very comprehensive.
Martin Follett
Michelmores
The BPF have launched a new tenancy agreement
which can be obtained from their website
www.bpfagreements.org.uk
It has been written in plain English and is relatively
easy to understand. It has all of the standard clauses
that you would expect. It is interactive and so there are
different versions for the approved deposit protection
schemes.
You can even store certain standard items such as
FIRE SAFETY A LANDLORD has been fined £6,000 for not fitting fire
safety devices in a block of flats in Radford.
Simon Fields admitted failing to install a fire alarm,
smoke detection system and self-closing devices on the
doors at his flats in Belper Road, Radford.
Fire fighters were called to a blaze in the ground floor
flat in June last year. They had to lead a second-floor
resident to safety.
An inspection revealed there were no fire precautions in
the flats or the common areas and inspectors banned the
use of the f i r s t and second f loors .
Mark Huckerby, head of fire protection said: "This fire
had the potential to turn into a very serious and fatal
incident."
"It could easily have led to a very different – and tragic –
ending.
"I hope that this prosecution will also serve as a potential
warning to other landlords who may not take fire safety
as seriously as they should, and do not comply with the
law."
Fields, of Trowell Road, Wollaton, pleaded guilty to
four fire safety charges at Nottingham Magistrates'
Court. He was fined £1,500 for each offence and ordered
to pay £3,772 in costs.
The charges related to lack of smoke and fire alarms, self
-closing doors and lack of emergency lighting in escape
routes.
Published 17th Feb 2009 in Nottingham.
Apparently it is one of those quirky bits of planning
legislation relating to the provision of accommodation
for people coming from the area. If you are born in the
district you get preference to be housed by the council.
We have an interesting situation with a landlord who has
built a number flats on the condition they are made
affordable to local people. Apparently since Christmas
(five months) a number of the flats have remained empty
as the local authority have nobody to house. What‘s
more they are refusing to release the owners from the
planning conditions and allow them to house families
who come from outside the district. Is this what is called
protectionism (something the world’s economies are
trying to avoid)? Surely this is something the new
Cornwall Council must address. Or are we to have
separate fiefdoms, residues of the old district councils,
where one district with excess accommodation refuses to
house a needy family because they come from outside of
the arbitrary blue line drawn on a map?
John Poole
WHAT IS A SECTION 106 AGREEMENT?
Page 15 DEVON LANDLORDS ASSOCIATION NEWSLETTER
POST The price of First and Second class stamps for standard
letters weighing up to 100g would rise by 3p, to 39p and
30p respectively, from 6 April 2009
From Royal Mail website Apologies for the poor quality of the graphic showing
the new post rates, it is the best I could get from the
download.
The CRLA is trying to keep the cost of postage to a
minimum. You can help by agreeing to receive your
newsletter by email in a .pdf format. Can we also send
out other correspondence (such as invoices for
membership renewal) to you by email? Please email
Ruth Clarke at [email protected] if you would
like to take up this option.
Page 16 Issue: 3
FROM THE CONSERVATIVE PARTY GREEN PAPER ON HOUSING
Private rented sector
The private rented sector constitutes a significant
component of the housing market, accounting for 13 per
cent of the 22 million homes in England.82 Often
unfairly seen as a fallback option for those who cannot
afford to buy but are not sufficiently in need to qualify
for social housing, the private rented sector plays a key
role in meeting the accommodation needs of millions of
households, many of whom greatly appreciate the
flexibility and variety that the sector offers.
Yet the sector has the potential to play an even fuller and
more effective part in meeting the country‘s future
housing needs. Private landlords could play an important
role in bringing under-utilised or empty homes back into
occupation. Individual landlords are also capable of
delivering small developments and conversions on sites
too marginal or too difficult for larger businesses to
undertake. Single operators can quickly and effectively
operate at low margins on Brownfield sites.
We will conduct a review of the private rented sector
to examine how the sector can play an enhanced role
in the housing market. As part of this review, we will
look at how consistent and appropriate the current
regulation of the sector is, as well as evaluating the
cumulative effect of the statutory regulation on
landlords.
We will look to eliminate duplication and contradiction,
and ensure regulation is proportionate to risk – focusing
on public safety and rogue landlords. In so doing, we
will end the uncertainty Labour have created about
investment in private renting, re-establishing confidence
and so encouraging the provision of much needed
private sector housing for rent.
A copy of the Green Paper can be downloaded
from the CRLA website
www.crla.org.uk
HEADLINE POINTS FROM THE CONSERVATIVE GREEN PAPER The Conservatives launched their housing green paper
on 7th March. Billed as a ‗Policy Green Paper‘, the
party‘s housing strategy is by no means finalised, though
it gives us the first thorough indication of where the
party‘s thinking on housing related issues is going.
Most importantly, and indeed worryingly, is the party‘s
pledge to undertake a further review of the Private
Rented Sector if they came into power. At the launch of
the paper the Shadow Minister for Housing, Grant
Shapps MP, made it clear that this review ‗will be
internal‘ and not large, and he expressed a keenness to
talk to landlord bodies during this review process.
For convenience I have drawn out the main policies in
the review relating to the PRS and the development of
new housing stock – see below. Rather confusingly the
paper is focussed heavily on planning issues and not
surprisingly given existing Tory rhetoric has ‗local
decision making‘ at the heart of many of its policies.
The full Green Paper document has been attached as
RPC_PA(09)13 to this email.
Main policies – house-building.
Incentivise new house-building by matching local
authorities‘ council tax take for each new house
built for 6 years.
Allow the creation of ‗Local Housing Trusts‘ to
give local people the freedom to plan development
in their own communities up to a certain size (10%
of a village/parish the upper limit).
Relax the rules on ‗habitable‘ empty properties to
allow more of them to be used to house those on
local authority waiting lists.
Allow greater access to local authority land
databases to enable members of the public to
‗identify‘ vacant publicly owned land that could be
made available for housing.
Support the ‗Merton Rule‘
Social housing:
Put in place a ‗Right to Move‘ scheme that would
allow ―good‖ social housing tenants – those with a
clean record of good behaviour – to ―demand‖ that
their social housing landlord sell their current
property and use the proceeds to buy another
property of their choice. Unfortunately the scheme
is only confined to properties in England, so buying
a beachside property in Croatia in exchange for a
RSL flat in Hackney would not be allowed.
Offer ―good‖ tenants a 10% equity stake in their
social rented property, which they can cash in if
they wish to become a home-owner.
Encourage greater flexibility of shared ownership
provisions.
Instigate a formal review of waiting lists policy, to
make the system more ‗fair‘ and ‗transparent‘.
Private Rented Sector:
Scrap HIPS
Entitle home-owners to £6500 worth of energy
efficiency improvements, the costs of which will be
recovered automatically from the household energy
bill over a period of 25 years.
Conduct a review of the private rented sector to
examine how the sector can play an enhanced
role in the housing market. This review will
evaluate current regulation in the sector ‗as well
as evaluating the cumulative effect of statutory
regulation on landlords‘
Page 17 Issue: 3
BUSINESS PROPERTY RELIEF (―BPR‖) - HOW CAN HMRC JUSTIFY ITS STANCE?
– whether institutional or privately owned – and the
capability of these groups to bring forward significant
numbers of units for rent and encourage high
management standards in the sector.
James Anderson
Policy Officer
British Property Federation
I get the impression that the Conservatives view the
PRS as small beer, capable of only delivering small
scale additions of stock. Thus, the document sees PRS
landlords as having the capability to bring back ‗under-
utilised or empty homes into occupation‘ and
undertaking ‗small developments and conversions on
sites‘ which are marginal. There is no mention of the
benefits that large professional portfolio landlords bring
BUSINESS PROPERTY RELIEF (―BPR‖) - HOW CAN HMRC JUSTIFY ITS STANCE?
machine that ensures compliance with letting law and
safety essentials.
Surely, the Revenue cannot continue to take such a
view.
People often report that direct discussions with the
Revenue, where a landlord's actual role is made plain,
evoke surprise and a more reasonable response, but the
"party line" holds.
Case law, similarly, does not
make a distinction between
active and passive property
management by a landlord and
has re-affirmed the Revenue's
stance on many occasions.
Where figures or values are big,
property owners or their
executors, have questioned this
situation and achieved some
success.
The case of IRC v George
(Executors of Stedman) is an
example. Here, a caravan and
campsite owner's estate was eventually allowed BPR
on the capital value of most business assets. The
investment aspect of the site was held to be only one
component in the business, which clearly provided
services actively, through the use of its assets. The
Judge here concluded his decision with the remarks
that:
"I would add that I am happy to be
able to arrive at this conclusion. I
find it difficult to see any reason
why an active family business of
this kind should be excluded from
Business Property Relief, merely
because a necessary component of
its profit-making activity is the use
of land."
It will no doubt take a few more test
cases to gain more ground and
achieve a fair change in the law.
The sooner the better for such cases, as, for farmers, a
cold wind is blowing in from Brussels which may
(Continued on page 18)
Every residential landlord I know, feels irritated, at
least, by the fact that Business Property Relief, at any
rate, is largely not available on the capital value of let
properties for Inheritance Tax ("IHT") purposes.
English tax law has for generations accepted the fair
principle that at least some relief from IHT should be
available on the value of items essential to carry out a
business or trade.
Farmland, farm stock,
business capital, office
equipment, offices, plant,
machinery and factories
are all eligible for a
discount on their value,
often 100%, for IHT
payable on death or in
lifetime transfers.
For Income Tax,
business travel,
professional association
fees, even some clothing
costs can be set against
tax as essential items needed wholly for work purposes.
But, BPR is only available on the value of properties
used for short term holiday lets, not long term letting –
a sector which has expanded enormously in the last ten
years in response to a demand for affordable housing,
social change and as a result of landlord and tenant law
being much easier to operate
from a landlord's perspective.
This sector looks sets to grow
further as repossessions return in
significant numbers.
The Revenue's position stands
on their view that such long term
letting income is the fruit of
passive investment. No
distinction is made between
landlords who use letting agents
and those who do all the hard
work, the decorating, the
selection of tenants, the taking of emergency calls –
who maintain offices, records and an administrative
English tax law has for
generations accepted the fair
principle that at least some
relief from IHT should be
available on the value of items
essential to carry out a
business or trade
no quick change in the
current situation
we should all continue
to lobby for a fairer
treatment of residential
landlord assets.
Page 18 Issue: 3
BUSINESS PROPERTY RELIEF (―BPR‖) - HOW CAN HMRC JUSTIFY ITS STANCE?
deprive them of the equivalent of BPR on their farm
assets ("APR"). Why? – because mainland European
farmers do not enjoy such concessions. If APR gets
trimmed, BPR may also be vulnerable.
In reality, against the background of bank rescues,
extending tax relief looks to be a very remote prospect.
So there will be no quick change in the current situation,
but we should all continue to lobby for a
fairer treatment of residential landlord
assets.
David Charlesworth
Michelmores Exeter
PROTECTION FOR PRIVATE TENANTS CAN‘T COME SOON ENOUGH
Four leading housing charities have welcomed an
announcement that the law is to be changed to protect
private tenants who face sudden homelessness when
their landlord is repossessed, but warn that there must be
no delay in introducing this protection.
Today‘s announcement by the Government comes in
response to a campaign by the four organisations –
Crisis, Citizens Advice, Shelter and the Chartered
Institute of Housing (CIH) – after they raised the alarm
over the growing number of private tenants who face
eviction because their landlord has defaulted on
mortgage payments and the lender has taken possession
of the property. This is often with little or no warning to
the tenant, and through no fault of their own.
The organisations estimate that thousands of tenants in
the private rented sector could be at risk of losing their
homes in this way and have been warning that urgent
government action is needed to avoid a potential crisis.
In response, over 100 MPs have signed an Early Day
Motion calling for changes to the law to tackle the
problem.
As the law stands, tenants whose landlords are
repossessed have none of the legal rights that usually
protect tenants from losing their homes without notice.
Advisers report seeing cases where the first the tenant
knows about the situation is when the bailiffs knock on
the door.
In some cases their belongings have been put out on the
street and the locks have been changed. In other cases
they have no or very limited access to their things,
including personal and valuable items. In one case a
family with nowhere to go had to sleep in a car before
moving into overcrowded and temporary emergency
hostel accommodation a long distance from the
children‘s schools.
The organisations have been calling for a change in the
law which would mean courts would have the power to
defer the possession to allow the tenant to find other
suitable accommodation and are delighted at the
Government‘s response to their campaign.
Leslie Morphy, Chief Executive of Crisis, said: ―Private
tenants risk becoming the hidden victims of this
recession and at Crisis we have been highlighting their
plight for months. We are delighted that the Government
has listened. We now need this legislation to come in
urgently. With the recession biting and repossessions
soaring, this protection can‘t come soon enough.‖
Citizens Advice Chief Executive David Harker said:
"We are delighted that the Government has responded to
the concerns we have raised. In the last year Citizens
Advice Bureaux have seen around 1,000 cases where
private tenants were facing sudden homelessness
because their landlord was being repossessed. It is
clearly unfair that private tenants lose their right to two
months notice to quit simply because their landlord has
failed to pay the mortgage. The challenge now is to
ensure that the new protection is put in place without
further delay to stop any more people being fast tracked
to homelessness."
Sarah Webb, Chief Executive of CIH, said: ―We are
pleased with this announcement to afford tenants, who
through no fault of their own could become homeless, a
much needed breathing space in order to secure
alternative accommodation. We urge government to
ensure these changes to the law are implemented swiftly
and without delay.‖
Sam Younger, chief executive of Shelter, said: ―With
many landlords facing repossession in the current
climate, tenants have been coming to our advice services
across the country desperately needing protection against
sudden eviction. In many cases they knew nothing about
it until the very last minute and have nowhere to turn.
We hope the new legislation will be implemented soon
so that it can start making a real difference on the
ground.‖
From Shelter
DEVON LANDLORDS ASSOCIATION NEWSLETTER Page 19
DISABILITY LAW associated guidance to the legislation as possible.
The Equality and Human Rights Commission is
currently consulting on which guidance it should
produce and prioritise. In a long list of potential
guidance documents and codes of practice they do list a
guide for landlords as on their to-do list, but we think it
is important that should be prioritised for the reasons
we have explained.
If you agree, please type http://cecollect.com/
vf/7530r9491Z7166F61c99 into the address bar of
your internet home page and towards the bottom of the
page vote for 'A guide to equality legislation for
landlords' and press 'submit'. Voting ends on 7 June
2009.
From the BPF
The Government recently issued an Equality Bill,
which received its second reading in Parliament this
week.
One of the issues of concern to us is that the bill seeks
to extend indirect discrimination to disability law,
which could have an impact on landlord possession (for
example, in cases of rents arrears or anti-social
behaviour by tenants).
Part of the problem is that the legislation will simply
contain the bare bones of what Government is seeking
to do, without much in the way of specifics on how this
will relate to the property sector. If we are to prevent
landlords having to go to court to establish precedents,
against probably in many cases legal-aided challengers,
then it is important we get as much clarity in the
per month and his interest payments are just £2,156.25.
He is, therefore, cash flow positive to the tune of
£6,193.75 per month.
If Mr X were to die we have established that the lender
would probably call the loans in if they could. Mrs X
would probably be able to get a new loan at 3% over
base to refinance the portfolio but only for 70% of
£950,000, i.e. £665,000. Where would she find the
other £485,000 to repay the existing lender?
Upon realising this Mr X decided that he would prefer
an insurance company to carry this risk than his family.
Finding the right solutions really can be a matter of life
and death. It is vital that the right money goes to the
right people at the right time.
From The Money Centre
Firstly you would need to check the small print in your
mortgage conditions. If one of you dies the mortgage
lender may have the right to demand full repayment.
Would they do that? Why wouldn't they? Lenders are
now lending money at far higher margins than they
were before, and new money to lend is a very scarce
commodity. Chances are they could also lend to new
borrowers at a lot lower risk too. Here's a good
example:
Mr X has a portfolio of 6 properties. Last year they
were worth £1,366,000 and he had mortgages on them
for £1,150,000. However, the properties are now only
worth £950,000.
At present Mr X is sitting pretty paying base rate plus
1.75% on his mortgages. His rental income is £8,350
IF I DIE WILL THE MORTGAGE COMPANY ALLOW MY SPOUSE/PARTNER TO
CONTINUE WITH THE MORTGAGE?
Page 20 Issue: 3
ALCOHOLICS COULD SEE BENEFITS CUT Alcoholics face having their benefits docked if they
do not get treatment, under government plans. Minister James Purnell has announced a review into the
idea to be carried out jointly by the Department of
Health and Department for Work and Pensions.
Measures that require drug addicts to get treatment in
order to keep receiving benefits are currently going
through Parliament.
Mr Purnell said they wanted to help people get the help
they needed.
Speaking on a visit to Dewsbury Moor in West
Yorkshire, he said: "We have introduced a new policy
that will mean heroin and crack addicts get treatment in
return for benefits.
"We will actually help them rather than simply handing
them money which ends up in pockets of drug dealers.
"But we can't abandon anyone to long periods on
benefits without help to overcome problems.
"So that's why we are going to look at the arrangements
for alcoholics on benefits, just as we did for problem
drug users, so that people get the help they need to get
sober, to get their life back and get back to work."
Mr Purnell has previously said that the plans to cut drug
addicts' benefits would give them the chance to "turn
their lives around".
Shadow work and pensions secretary Theresa May said
this latest review was "another smokescreen" to "deflect
from Labour's failure to get to grips with our welfare
system".
She added: "Under James Purnell the system has gone
into meltdown with more than 100,000 people claiming
benefits because they are drug addicts or alcoholics.
That's more than doubled from 48,700 since 1997.
"The government has had more than a decade to sort this
problem out so this is too little, too late.
"The devil is always in the detail with Labour. Mr
Purnell has failed to say when this will happen, how
much it will cost and who it will exactly help."
From BBC News
The plan is not new - it was just "not noticed" when
included in the Welfare Reform Bill earlier this year.
"We kept it quiet", a ministerial aide explained, "so we
could make a formal announcement later".
Exploring the alcohol route is hardly a significant
policy shift - a consultation paper issued in January
included a table of the different kinds of "work-related
activity" that ministers might insist jobless claimants
undertake or face sanctions.
There in the second box is "alcohol rehabilitation".
In December James Purnell, Work and Pensions
Secretary expressed his enthusiasm for the idea of
targeting alcoholics : :
LANDLORD TOLD TO REPAY RENT been paid to her in housing benefit in the previous 12
months. The tenants of the flats have also been
successful in their claim for repayment of rent paid
over the same 12 months and are seeking financial
redress from the landlord.
Russell Lee, senior EHO, said: ‗Ms Walker
consistently failed to act and we were left with no
alternative but to take further action against her.‘
The Housing Act 2004 allows local authorities and
tenants to reclaim rent and benefit paid over the time
period when a HMO remains unlicensed, up to 12
months. This can result in a greater financial penalty
than a prosecution.
A Bridlington landlord has been ordered to repay more
than £8,000 in housing benefit to East Riding of
Yorkshire Council after failing to licence her property
as a house in multiple occupation.
Antoinette Theresa Walker‘s property at 70 Trinity
Road was divided into rented flats. Despite being
prosecuted by East Riding Council for failing to licence
her property early last year, and also receiving a
previous fine for not having adequate fire precautions,
Ms Walker had still not submitted the appropriate
application by January.
At a residential property tribunal hearing, she was
ordered to pay £8,000 to the council – money that had
LOCAL HOUSING ALLOWANCE consultation on the revision of broad rental market
areas (BRMAs).
The minister was concerned about the inconsistencies
across local authorities, and we were promised a new
initiative shortly to improve local authority application
of safeguarding policies. We also hope to hold a follow
up meeting with the minister during the consultation
phase of the benefit reform paper.
From the BPF
Prior to the launch of the Government's benefit reform
green paper launch later this year, last week we met
with Treasury Minister Kitty Ussher to put across our
views on housing benefit issues.
The main purpose of the meeting was to raise our
profile on the subject, to stress the need for a change in
the current benefit regulations to facilitate attachment
of benefit and to express our dissatisfaction with the
Government's stance on direct payment and
DEVON LANDLORDS ASSOCIATION NEWSLETTER Page 21
must be carried out by a competent and registered gas
engineer. Landlord Gas Safety Records should be
received, checked and kept for a minimum of 2 years.
Tenants must also be provided with a copy.
"It is illegal for an unregistered person to carry out
work on a gas appliance. When unqualified landlords
try to cut corners in this way they are not only putting
themselves at risk of prosecution and a large fine, they
are also putting their tenants' lives at risk. Working
with gas appliances is a difficult, specialised and
potentially dangerous job and only fully qualified
engineers should attempt it.
"The HSE will not hesitate to prosecute landlords who
fail to take their responsibilities for safety to their
tenants seriously and to follow up on those who fail to
co-operate with any investigation or fail to appear in
court."
From Health and Safety Inspectorate
The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has issued a
warning to landlords about cutting corners with gas
boilers after magistrates ordered an Essex man to pay
£20,000 in fines and court costs.
Former landlord Adrian Ellis admitted five breaches
of the Gas Safety (Installation & Use) Regulations
1998 when he appeared at Colchester Magistrates'
Court (Town Hall court) on Thursday, 9 April.
Magistrates fined Mr Ellis, who at the time of the
offences was living at Lexden Road, Colchester, a
total of £11,300 with court costs of £8,700. Mr Ellis
was ordered to pay the total sum of £20,000 within 56
days or he would face a 12-month prison sentence.
Mr Ellis had originally failed to appear in court in
2006 to answer the same charges and so a warrant
with bail was issued for him. Mr Ellis was found and
the warrant was served on him in March 2009.
Mr Ellis does not currently let properties. The five
charges against him relate to breaches of the Gas
Safety (Installation & Use) Regulations 1998.
£2,500 fine for carrying out work on a gas boiler
without being competent to do so, breaching
Regulation 3(1)
£2,000 fine for the same offence at a different
property, likewise breaching Regulation 3(1)
£3,300 fine for neglecting to ensure a gas boiler
was maintained in a safe condition, breaching
Regulation 36(2)(a). The boiler was condemned
by a HSE specialist.
£2,000 fine for failing to ensure a record of any
safety check in respect of a gas boiler was made
and retained, breaching Regulation 36(3)(c)
£1,000 fine for neglecting to ensure a copy of a
safety check record was given to a tenant,
breaching Regulation 36(6)(a)
HSE inspector Matthew Tackling said:
"People needlessly die each year from carbon
monoxide poisoning due to a lack of effective
maintenance of gas appliances. Annual safety checks
CUTTING CORNERS WITH GAS SAFETY CAN COST YOU THOUSANDS
BPF MEETING WITH HOMES AND COMMUNITIES AGENCY
case. The Federation has been doing some detailed
modelling work to help support our own
representations, with the kind support of Allsop LLP
and we hope to make this more generally available to
members at during the expressions of interest period.
As well as institutional investment in the private rented
sector, our meeting with Sir Bob also covered
regeneration funding in the current climate,
procurement and the impact of the Roanne case, tax
increment financing (TIFs) and infrastructure funding.
From the BPF
We met with Sir Bob Kerslake at the Homes and
Communities Agency (HCA) to discuss the HCA's
plans for an expression of interest exercise, which will
seek to encourage institutional investment in the private
rented sector.
As some of you may have seen via press speculation,
this is likely to provide support for some kind of rental
guarantee and, together with the approach to affordable
housing, seek to provide an investment which has a lot
more in common with investment in student housing.
The expressions of interest exercise should be launched
shortly and we will let members know when that is the
All members and friends of the
Association are invited to send in
contributions for this newsletter.
Please let Peter Lewis have a
copy of your letter/article
BY September 30th
Page 22 Issue: 3
BUY TO LET LANDLORD CONVICTED OF BENEFIT FRAUD A landlord has been convicted of benefit fraud
amounting to more than £8,000 after failing to let the
local authorities know that some of the tenants he
received housing benefit for had moved on.
Eugene Burton, aged 57, of the Mersey House Caravan
Park, in Partington, near Manchester, pleaded guilty to
being overpaid benefit between August 2005 and
December 2007.
Burton claimed the offence of falsely obtaining housing
benefit amounting to £8075.00 had been a
misunderstanding.
Manchester Crown Court, He was sentenced to a 12
month conditional discharge and ordered to pay costs of
£500 at Manchester Crown Court.
Judge Thomas QC said: ―The prosecution have accepted
in this case that you weren't dishonest but your card is
marked. I can't begin to think that if this happened again
you would have any chance of saying the same thing,
and I would have thought you would go to prison.‖
Council counter fraud officers were alerted to the matter
by neighbouring local authorities and a data matching
exercise.
Executive Councillor John Tolhurst, said: ―We are
determined to act firmly with people who defraud the
system and protect public money.‖
From Residential Landlord website
LANDLORD FINED A landlord was fined £1,000 and ordered to pay £250
prosecution costs, along with a £15 Government
surcharge after an investigation into a fire at his
property uncovered the fact it was not licensed. Fire-fighters had to rescue five people from the terraced
house in Lincoln, in November last year after a blaze
started in one of the bedrooms.
Timothy Williams, aged 45, who lives in Cheltenham,
pleaded guilty to being in charge of a multiple
occupancy property which was not licensed under the
Housing Act 2004 when he appeared at Lincoln
Magistrates' Court recently.
DEVON LANDLORDS ASSOCIATION NEWSLETTER Page 23
UK SMART METER ROLL OUT MOVES FORWARD system that brings best value to everyone involved."
Smart meters signify the start of a change in our energy
habits. They are a key step towards future smart grids
which have the potential to help our shift to a low-
carbon economy - making it easier for renewable
generation to feed into the grid, including micro and
community level generation and will support the
decarbonisation of heat and transport through the
greater use of electric and plug-in hybrid vehicles.
Suppliers will be able to offer more tariffs and services,
such as 'time-of-use' tariffs, encouraging more efficient
and economical energy use.
The preferred roll-out option is the central
communications model - where energy suppliers are
responsible for the installation and maintenance of the
smart meter but the communication to and from the
device is coordinated by a third party across the whole
of Great Britain.
The other principal models considered are:
Competitive model - where energy suppliers
manage all aspects of smart metering, including
installation and communication.
Fully centralised - where regional franchises are set
up to manage the installation and operation of
smart meters with the communications to and from
the meters managed centrally and on a national
level.
The consultation is open to the public and will run to
24 July 2009. Further information on how to take part
can be found at http://www.decc.gov.uk/en/content/
c m s / c o n s u l t a t i o n s / s m a r t _ m e t e r i n g /
smart_metering.aspx or on the CRLA website.
Hi tech meters will change our energy habits
No more estimated bills or staying in for meter
readings
Easier switching between energy suppliers
Suppliers will be able to offer cheaper off-peak
energy
All homes in Britain will have smart meters installed
by 2020 under plans published recently. Great Britain
will be the first country in the world to have an
overhaul of this size for both electricity and gas meters.
Smart meters enable meter readings to be taken
remotely and together with a display device give
householders real time information on their energy use.
The new information smart meters provide will help
consumers to see what energy they are using and how
to save money on their bills.
Smart meters will mean the end of estimated bills, no
more having to stay in for home readings, quicker and
smoother switching between suppliers and cheaper,
easier prepayment.
The Government has set out the different options for
rolling out the revolutionary kit across Great Britain
and on what the smart meters should be capable of
doing.
"Smart meters will empower all consumers to monitor
their own energy use and make reductions in energy
consumption and carbon emissions as a result. Smart
meters will also mean the end of inaccurate bills and
estimated meter readings.
"This is a big project affecting 26 million homes, and
several million businesses, so it's important we design a
SUBJECTS NOT CITIZENS that Britain‘s legal system gives primacy to property
rather than individuals and that we are subjects, not
citizens. The idea that people have ‗rights‘ at all is
regarded as a dangerous and alien heresy by those who
write for The Times.
Change may be in the air (see Lord Best‘s views on
page 9), but the government, which commissioned the
Rugg and Rhodes review into the private rented sector,
is now backing away from producing a green paper that
could pre-empt legislation. The review‘s concept of
‗light-touch licensing‘ for landlords could have some
mileage, although it would pose many practical
problems. Unfortunately, with a general election due
next year, time is running out for a new law to be put in
place. And if the Conservatives win the election, we
could hardly expect what would be regarded as
landlord-bashing legislation and a change in the status
quo
From Environmental Health News
‗Licence to let will hit all private landlords‘, said The
Times‘ headline on Tuesday. It didn‘t exactly scream;
it just expressed mild indignation. The implication of
the story was clear. A nefarious scheme was afoot,
designed to impose yet more burdensome regulation on
the ordinary, long-suffering businessman – in this case
the landlord.
What about the other side of the story? Tenants, in
England and Wales, have ill-defined enforceable rights,
security of tenure in the private sector is a distant
memory and rents are entirely at the mercy of the
market. Property condition is worse than in the owner-
occupied and socially rented sectors, with half of
private rented homes failing to meet the decent homes
standards.
Bothered by the poor condition of your rented
property? Want to complain? Well, be aware that your
landlord has the legal right to end your tenancy with a
section 21 notice, without giving any reason.
This deplorable state of affairs is indicative of the fact
Page 24 Issue: 3
per month and his interest payments are just £2,156.25.
He is, therefore, cash flow positive to the tune of
£6,193.75 per month.
If Mr X were to die we have established that the lender
would probably call the loans in if they could. Mrs X
would probably be able to get a new loan at 3% over
base to refinance the portfolio but only for 70% of
£950,000, i.e. £665,000. Where would she find the
other £485,000 to repay the existing lender?
Upon realising this Mr X decided that he would prefer
an insurance company to carry this risk than his family.
Finding the right solutions really can be a matter of life
and death. It is vital that the right money goes to the
right people at the right time.
From The Money Centre
Firstly you would need to check the small print in your
mortgage conditions. If one of you dies the mortgage
lender may have the right to demand full repayment.
Would they do that? Why wouldn't they? Lenders are
now lending money at far higher margins than they
were before, and new money to lend is a very scarce
commodity. Chances are they could also lend to new
borrowers at a lot lower risk too. Here's a good
example:
Mr X has a portfolio of 6 properties. Last year they
were worth £1,366,000 and he had mortgages on them
for £1,150,000. However, the properties are now only
worth £950,000.
At present Mr X is sitting pretty paying base rate plus
1.75% on his mortgages. His rental income is £8,350
REGULATING LETTING AGENTS who should be licensed, the process of application,
codes of standards, redress and so on.
Overall agreement was reached on a number of issues,
and a second meeting has been scheduled for June.
NALS will share the group's thoughts and discussions
with the Government in the coming months.
From the BPF
We met with a group of stakeholders last week at a
meeting chaired by Lord Best and organised by the
National Approved Letting Scheme (NALS).
The purpose was to explore the Rugg review
proposition of licensing letting and managing agents,
and how this licensing might work in practice. The
conversations covered a number of issues, including
IF I DIE WILL THE MORTGAGE COMPANY ALLOW MY SPOUSE/PARTNER TO
CONTINUE WITH THE MORTGAGE?
DEVON LANDLORDS ASSOCIATION NEWSLETTER Page 25
THIRD OF FAMILIES IN NON-DECENT HOMES Non-decent homes:1,2 by tenure3 England Percentages
1996 2001 2003 2004 2005 2006 2006
(Fitness HHSRS
definition) definition)
Private sector4 Owner-occupied 40 29 28 27 25 24 35
Privately rented 62 51 48 43 41 40 47
All private sector 43 32 30 29 27 26 36
Social sector4 Local authority 54 42 40 35 34 33 32
Registered social landlords 48 33 29 26 24 24 25
All rented from social sector 53 39 35 31 29 29 29
All tenures 45 33 31 29 27 27 35
1 See Appendix, Part 10: Decent home standard, for explanation of the different definitions of decent homes.
2 The housing health and safety rating system (HHSRS) came into force in April 2006 and replaced the fitness
standard as the statutory element of the decent home standard. The HHSRS will be used in future data on decent
homes.
3 See Appendix, Part 10: Tenure.
4 See Appendix, Part 10: Private and social sectors.
Source: English House Condition Survey, Communities and Local Government
The replacement of the Fitness Standard with the HHSRS as the statutory criterion for the decent homes standard in
2006 has led to an increase in the proportion of homes classed as non-decent
From Office For National Statistics
PEOPLE IN OVERCROWDED ACCOMMODATION SET TO SOAR family homes being built, that figure is expected to
increase sharply over the next two years, with one in
four larger families predicted to be living in unsuitable
homes by 2011.
But smaller households of three or four people are also
increasingly living in cramped conditions – rising from
170,578 households in 2003 to 248,412 in 2008. By
2011, that figure is likely to reach 280,000.
Regionally, the problem of cramped living conditions is
most severe in London, where 203,000 homes – 6.6%
of all homes in the capital – are officially classified as
overcrowded. In the South East, the second worst
affected area, 66,000 homes are overcrowded, while the
North West has 64,000 properties classed as
overcrowded.
As well as having a negative impact on family life,
overcrowding can contribute to increased levels of
homelessness and put enormous pressure on public
services – as families are housed in expensive, and
often unsuitable, temporary accommodation.
Nearly 5 million people are expected to be on social
housing waiting lists by 2010, while a wave of
repossessions could further add to the crisis.
The Government has pledged to build 3 million new
homes by 2020, but the credit crunch has seen house
building virtually grind to a halt.
The number of people living in overcrowded homes in
England will soar by 15% to 2.6 million within two
years as unemployment and repossessions soar during
the recession, a leading campaign group warned today.
The National Housing Federation, which represents
England‘s housing associations, said an extra 350,000
people would be forced to live in cramped and
unsuitable conditions by 2011, leading to widespread
problems with health, children‘s education and
damaged family relationships.
The Federation warned that the situation could get even
worse if the recession leads a sharp downturn in the
construction of new affordable homes, with the latest
estimates indicating that as few as 70,000 new homes
could be built in England during 2009/10 – down from
around 140,000 in 2008/9.
There are currently 2.3 million people living in
properties officially classed as overcrowded in
England , and new research by the Federation predicts
that figure will soar to 2.65 million within two years –
as a lack of mortgages and rising unemployment forces
families to stay in properties that are far too small for
them.
The problem is particularly acute for larger families of
five or more people – with 20% currently living in
overcrowded properties. But with not enough new
Page 26 Issue: 3
LOCAL HOUSING ALLOWANCE—QUESTIONS IN PARLIAMENT The following are questions raised at the House of
Commons on 11 May 2009
Mrs. Linda Riordan (Halifax) (Lab/Co-op):
What proportion of claimants in each local authority
were classified as vulnerable for the purposes of paying
local housing allowance in the past 12 months.
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for
Work and Pensions (Kitty Ussher):
The information is not available for the past 12 months.
However, evidence from the nine local housing
allowance pathfinder evaluations indicated that
payments of local housing allowance were made to
landlords in 12 per cent. of cases where local authorities
assessed the claimant as vulnerable.
Mrs. Riordan:
There is a great deal of difference in the way that local
authorities handle policies on vulnerability and rent
arrears in their housing allocation. Many vulnerable
people are left homeless and landlords are left with rent
arrears. What mechanisms are there for making sure that
local authorities apply their policies properly and are
there any plans to change those mechanisms?
Kitty Ussher:
My hon. Friend raises an extremely important point. The
guidance to local authorities on how to implement the
regulations, and in particular the safeguards for
vulnerable claimants, has been set out clearly. Indeed,
we have provided comprehensive training and guidance
material to local authorities. Like my hon. Friend, I too
have been concerned that some local authorities are
implementing the regulations differently from other local
authorities, so we shall be reissuing the guidance. I want
to make it entirely clear, and on the record, that local
authorities by no means have to wait for eight weeks
before reinstating direct payments to landlords. They can
set their own policies in that regard and make direct
payments much sooner if they think there is a likelihood
that the rent will not be paid by vulnerable claimants.
Steve Webb (Northavon) (LD):
The Minister will know that the effectiveness of the
local housing allowance scheme depends on the
definition of ―local‖. If the local housing market is
defined over a very large area, there will be parts where
the rent is too high for anybody on benefit—no-go
areas—and ghettoised areas where people on benefit
have to live. Will the Minister commit to an early review
of the definitions of local housing market areas to see
whether that is happening and, if so, to redraw the local
housing markets?
Kitty Ussher:
The hon. Gentleman needs to check his facts. In fact, 25
per cent. of the broad rental market areas are being
reviewed this year; 14 of those reviews will be
published quite soon and a further 18 in the next few
months, and 25 per cent. a year will be looked at. I have
asked the Rent Service to prioritise areas where there
was less local consensus and encourage them to involve
all local authorities and interested groups, including
Members, to make sure that consensus can be reached,
precisely to solve the issues that the hon. Gentleman
raised.
However, I should also like to make it clear that local
authorities have at their discretion a pot of money to
ameliorate some of the effects case by case. In the vast
majority of circumstances when Members have raised
cases with me, the local authority has agreed the new
boundaries, so the onus is on the local authority to
ameliorate any unforeseen circumstances that follow.
Mr. Jim Devine (Livingston) (Lab):
Will my hon. Friend review housing benefit? Many of
my constituents are trapped on benefit; they have been
offered jobs but are afraid to take them because as a
consequence they would lose their housing benefit, and
then obviously their home. Will my hon. Friend look at
that?
Kitty Ussher:
My hon. Friend is right to raise that point. It is precisely
why shortly—in the next few months or so—we shall be
starting a public consultation on what has so far been an
internal review of housing benefit, designed to make
sure that work incentives are at the core of the way we
implement the benefit system.
David Howarth (Cambridge) (LD):
May I press the Minister on the timing of the reviews
she mentioned in answer to my hon. Friend the Member
for Northavon (Steve Webb)? In Cambridge, there are
800 claimants whose housing benefit is being reduced
because the area was drawn far too wide. A review has
been under way since last year. The Minister mentioned
local authorities. Cambridge city council has made its
submission, backed by Shelter. How much longer do
those tenants have to wait for their review to be
completed?
Kitty Ussher:
I mentioned in response to the earlier question that 14
reviews were being fast-tracked. Cambridge is one of
those and I expect to have recommendations about what
should change, in anything, in the next few weeks. Any
changes will, we hope, be implemented from 1 July.
Andrew Selous (South-West Bedfordshire) (Con):
It is now clear from reports across the country that not
only tenants but charities helping the homeless are being
very poorly served by the local housing allowance, so
will the Minister agree to urgent reform of that
allowance, which, frankly, is failing the very people
whom it was designed to help?
Kitty Ussher:
(Continued on page 27)
DEVON LANDLORDS ASSOCIATION NEWSLETTER Page 27
LOCAL HOUSING ALLOWANCE—QUESTIONS IN PARLIAMENT We always said that we would review the local housing
allowance after two years, but the evidence so far does
not bear out the hon. Gentleman‘s points. In the
pathfinder evaluations, it was shown that 96 per cent. of
customers had a bank, building society or Post Office
account, and a quarter of those had been opened in order
for those customers to pay their rent. We are talking
about an important policy, giving more choice to tenants.
It is an important part of our plans for financial
inclusion. We will, of course, listen to all interested
parties, but we do not currently have the evidence that
the hon. Gentleman needs to make his point.
Mr. Andrew Love (Edmonton) (Lab/Co-op):
There have been reports in the newspapers that the
expenditure on local housing allowance has been greater
than was forecast, and that as a result the Government
are considering whether those whose local housing
allowance is more than the rent that they pay and who
therefore benefit will lose that benefit. Can my hon.
Friend report on that?
Kitty Ussher:
My hon. Friend is right that the local housing allowance
has proved quite generous. That is not a bad thing,
particularly in the current economic circumstances, but it
is right in looking across the whole of Government
expenditure that people should not be able to claim in
excess of what they pay for their rent. Once the
economic circumstances improve, the issue is to be
with a lack of regulation of and a requirement for
redress to protect the consumer when the agent‘s
failings are to the financial detriment of that consumer.
―The ARLA Licensing Scheme will create the gold
standard for letting agents in the UK, offering
consumers best practice service and advice – as well as
a commitment to the protection of their money.‖
As of today, all ARLA members will need to be
licensed as part of their membership, which includes
the following implications:
Each individual member will hold a gold standard
professional qualification relating to lettings;
All members must undertake Continuing
Professional Development
Agents must ensure they have client money
protection schemes in place to protect all tenant
and landlord funds held by their office;
All clients funds require to have an annual
independent audit
Agents must have professional indemnity insurance
in place;
Agents must sign up to an independent redress
scheme;
Agents must abide by a strict code of practice.
None of the above is compulsory for letting agents as
standard at the moment.
ARLA‘s sister organisation, the National Association
of Estate Agents (NAEA) will follow suit with the
launch of its own licensing scheme later this year.
Additional quotes: Adam Sampson, Chief Executive of Shelter, said: "It is
high time the government acted to introduce statutory
licensing for all letting agents, something that Shelter
has been campaigning about for some time. However,
industry led best practice is a positive step in the right
direction. We welcome ARLA‘s new licensing scheme
and it‘s commitment to raising standards in the sector.
(Continued on page 28)
Hundreds of thousands of pounds of consumers‘ money
is lost each year to unprotected, unprofessional and
unethical letting agents.
In a survey by the Association of Residential Lettings
Agents (ARLA), 95% of consumers revealed that they
believe letting agents should be licensed and it is a
shock for many to learn that there is currently no
scheme in place at all.
A growing number of tenants and landlords are losing
out to cowboy agents in the following ways:
Loss of funds through a lack of client money
protection
No professional indemnity insurance in place to
protect a consumer from a serious error;
Loss of monies due to the unlicensed agency
holding the funds going into administration;
Poor advice to landlords, for example about their
legally-required deposit protection responsibilities,
which can result in loss of the deposit for tenants
and/or a fine for landlords;
No commitment to best practice or any form of
independent redress scheme for when things go
wrong.
To prevent the practices listed above, and offer
assurance to consumers, ARLA is today launching a
Licensing Scheme for its members, thereby
establishing the highest standards for letting agents in
the UK.
Housing Minister Iain Wright will be speaking at the
launch of the scheme in the House of Commons, saying
that the establishment of competency and qualification
standards will have wide-ranging benefits for
consumers.
Ruth Lilley, Head of Membership and Professional
Development of ARLA, said: ―ARLA has lobbied the
Government for 10 years to assist us in establishing
higher industry standards. For too long the rental sector
has been seen as the black sheep of the property market
ARLA LAUNCHES NEW LICENSING SCHEME TO PROTECT CONSUMER INTERESTS
Page 28 Issue: 3
ARLA LAUNCHES NEW LICENSING SCHEME TO PROTECT CONSUMER
INTERESTS ―All consumers should have the right to expect a
professional letting service, and have access to redress
when problems arise‖
Simon Gordon, Head of Communications, National
Landlords Association said: We very much welcome this
latest development as another push to raise standards
within the private-rented sector. Letting agents are in a
particular position of trust between landlords and tenants
and their practices must be above reproach. The ARLA
Licensing Scheme should go a long way to ensuring
consumers are protected from poor letting agents and
improve the image of the sector as a whole.‖
Letting agent and ARLA President David McMaster
commented: ―As an agent, this is something I have been
campaigning for four years. Having a license helps me to
set my business apart from all the unscrupulous,
untrained and unethical agents who I hope will one day
be ousted from the market because of this scheme.‖
Paul Ramsden, Deputy Chief Executive, Trading
Standards Institute, commented: ―The absence of
Government regulation of letting agents has long been a
concern for TSI. We have in the past, and continue to,
call for tighter controls of this sector. In general, but
even more so during these difficult times, people will
leave themselves vulnerable to letting agents intent on
reaping the benefits of the regulatory gap in which they
operate.
―Though sometimes difficult, consumers, be they tenants
or landlords, should seek out letting agents backed by
bodies operating OFT-approved codes of conduct to give
themselves some level of protection. Whilst it is
gratifying to see this increase of self-regulation amongst
some sector operators, persons will continue to fall prey
to unscrupulous letting agents until such time that a
compulsory and robust system of regulations is
introduced.‖
Richard Beamish, Chief executive of Asset Skills, the
Sector Skills Council for the property industry, said:
―Letting agents often suffer unfairly with their public
image despite most being honest, well run businesses.
We have long pushed for minimum standards in estate
agency and fully support ARLA‘s licensing scheme for
letting agents. We believe it will go far in improving
public perception of the profession.‖
Richard Capie, Director of Policy and Practice, the
Chartered Institute of Housing, said: ―The UK housing
market needs far-reaching wide-scale, holistic reform to
deliver fair, affordable and flexible housing in the future.
The Chartered Institute of Housing believes the Private
Rented Sector is an essential part of the mix with huge
potential to meet the aspirations of many people
currently unable to access suitable housing. The
licensing scheme represents a major step forward and
will give greater confidence to tenants and housing
professionals alike.‖
From ARLA
AVERAGE RENT HAS INCREASED said: ―It‘s been a tough year for the housing market, but
tenants have been the beneficiaries of the turmoil.
Since last summer, anyone looking at renting a flat or a
house has seen rents plummet. The lucky ones have
bagged some absolute bargains and it‘s clear that those
in the East of England are doing particularly well.
―Until last month, rents have been forced down as the
UK‘s economic weakness has led to an increased
supply of rental properties - and lower interest from
tenants as the pool of migrant workers who normally
rent, dries up. The jump in rents is down to demand
rising and, at the same time, there is evidence supply is
beginning to plateau.
―We saw three per cent fewer tenants register in
London in March, compared to the same time last year,
for instance.
―Confidence is certainly fragile in the housing market,
but mortgage approvals were up again in February and
this may have implications for the number of properties
being made available to rent. It‘s still too early to
predict, but this may signal a reversal in the downward
trend in rents.‖
From housingnews.co.uk
The average monthly rental bill grew by £4 (1%) to
£638 in March, according to Your Move.
But it‘s not all bad news for tenants, as those who sign
up for a lease now are saving £1,020 a year on their
rent compared to those who signed up last summer.
Rents are down £85 a month (12%) from their £723
peak in July 2008. This is only the second month of
rent increases in the last eight months. Year-on-year
average rents have fallen six per cent across the UK -
this time last year, average rents were £677.
The cheapest rents in the UK are to be found in
Yorkshire & the Humber where the average rental
cheque is for just £491 a month, compared to rents of
£850 a month in London - the most expensive in the
country. But the largest falls in the last year come in the
East of England, down £74 a month (10%) to only
£655 in March 2009.
Not all the regions have been so lucky. In the last year,
rents have climbed six per cent in the North East and
two per cent in the East Midlands. The North West saw
the largest increase in rents, up eight per cent (or £36)
to £507 a month, from £471 in March 2008.
David Newnes, managing director of Your Move,
DEVON LANDLORDS ASSOCIATION NEWSLETTER Page 29
music, verbal abuse and threats to
neighbours.
It was also reported that residents had
been intimidated to such a degree
that they were in fear of making
complaints or coming forward to give
evidence in court of the nuisance
experienced.
On another occasion individuals
threatened to burn down a neighbour‘s house and a sofa
was set alight outside the property. A male visitor
urinated over the footpath to another house and
exposed himself. Neal herself was also accused of a
physical assault on a neighbour.
In Court, Neal admitted to suffering from an alcohol-
related problem and that one of her visitors was a
heroin addict.
A number of persons were ejected from the property
following the granting of a PCO, any one who now
attempts to enter the property will be arrested and
subject to a custodial sentence of up to 51 weeks and a
monetary fine.
David Jones, Head of Protection at Rhondda Cynon Taf
Council said: ―This is a hugely significant landmark
court case that sends a clear message to unruly tenants
but also to their landlords. Tenants risk losing their
homes if they engage in persistent antisocial behaviour
and landlords risk significant loss of rent revenue if
they do not take responsibility to control them.
―This is the first time a house has been closed in Wales
using a Premises Closure Order. Home Office guidance
shows that this measure should be used only as a last
resort and that all other options have to be made or
considered before such a case is brought to the Court.
―The fact that we have obtained the Order in this case
shows not only the seriousness of it but also that all the
partners have worked tirelessly to resolve this issue for
the benefit of the local community using a range of
alternative techniques before resorting to this extreme
measure.‖
Inspector Steve Meek at South Wales Police added:
―This is an extremely serious case and one which I
hope will send out a clear message to all communities
that we simply will no tolerate such disgraceful
behaviour. Should this occur elsewhere then the
culprits can rest assured that they will feel the full force
of the law.
―Thanks to the excellent partnership working between
ourselves and the local authority we have eradicated a
serious problem in the vicinity of Chapel Row,
Aberdare and hope that peace and harmony has been
returned to the lives of the neighbours who suffered
considerable distress due to the serious of events that
have occurred.‖
From Rhondda Cynon Taf
A ―neighbour from hell‖ has had her home closed
down by Rhondda Cynon Taf Council in the first
landmark case of its kind in Wales to crackdown on
anti social behaviour.
The Council‘s Community Enforcement Team
successfully closed 1, Chapel Row, Aberdare following
a court order by Aberdare Magistrates under the Anti
Social Behaviour Act 2003.
An investigation was
carried out into a range of
offences carried out at the
property following a large
quantity of complaints from
residents, local members
and South Wales Police
Rhondda Cynon Taf Council is the first local authority
in Wales to obtain a Premise Closure Order that is a
new piece of legislation that came into power in
December 2008. This means that the tenant has been
removed and prohibited from entering the property,
which was closed down to avoid further disturbances
by herself and the visitors to the house.
Once again, the case further highlights the way in
which the Council is viewed as one of the leading local
authorities in the country when dealing with anti social
behaviour.
Michelle Neal, aged 38, had been the private tenant of
the property since February 2009 and faced three
charges at Aberdare Magistrates‘ Court:
that a person has engaged in anti-social behaviour
on the premises in respect of which this application
is made; and
the use of the premises is associated with
significant and persistent disorder or persistent
serious nuisance to members of the public; and
the making of a premises closure order is necessary
to prevent the occurrence of such disorder or
nuisance for the period specified in the order
Rhondda Cynon Taf Council and South Wales Police
have received complaints of anti-social behaviour
associated with the property continually since Neal
moved into the property.
South Wales Police visited the property on 20 separate
occasions since February 20th 2009 and the landlord
was also contacted by both the police and Council on at
least four occasions. At the time of the court
application no action had been taken by the landlord of
the property against his tenant to remedy the issues
despite the warnings.
A schedule of 29 incidents were reported to the Court
which led to six arrests at the property. The incidents
included loud arguing and shouting with demands for
money, kicking of doors, punching windows, large
congregations of young people outside drinking alcohol
and blocking the entrance to houses, fighting, loud
PRIVATE TENANT EVICTED BY COUNCIL
Page 30 Issue: 3
BRITAIN‘S ESTATES ARE ‗SOCIAL CONCENTRATION CAMPS‘ Three decades of failed policies have destroyed the life
chances of millions living in public housing, says a
Millions of people have been condemned to live under
"social apartheid" by 30 years of poor housing policies, a
damning report on council estates will say this week.
The 107-page report, to be published on Friday,
condemns successive governments for pushing poorer
people into what it condemns as "social concentration
camps" set away from private housing, jobs and shops.
Children born on such estates are more likely to end up
unemployed, suffer mental health problems and die
younger than their counterparts in private housing, says
the study by the Fabian Society. Most damningly for the
Government, it concludes that pledges by the then Prime
Minister Tony Blair to end "no-go areas" and close of
the gap between rich and poor have ended in failure.
The report, entitled In the Mix, finds that by
concentrating council housing in estates set apart from
the wider community, successive governments have
produced a situation where living in social housing is not
just a sign of poverty but a cause in itself. It is blunt in
assessing Britain's housing policy as "nothing short of
disastrous".
According to the Fabians, children bought up in social
housing now have far fewer life chances than half a
century ago, because they are concentrated on
increasingly ghettoised estates. Those born after 1970 in
council homes are twice as likely to suffer from mental
health problems than those born in 1946 in public
housing, 11 times more likely to be unemployed and not
in training or education, and nine times more likely to
live in a household where nobody has a job.
The gulf between those left stranded on these estates and
rich or even middle-income families is wider now than it
was 30 years ago. In England and Wales, the average
electoral ward is 16 per cent public housing, but in the
poorest wards that figure rises to 70 per cent or more.
By splitting up those living in public and private
housing, successive governments have fostered
suspicion towards those who live on council estates.
Research for the study found that a third of those polled
felt people living on council estates had "nothing in
common with them", and 60 per cent of those believed
that mixed housing would be a bad idea. It concludes
that segregated estates have had a devastating effect on
social mobility. "There is nothing inevitable about this
correlation between housing and disadvantage. It has
been caused by political and institutional processes – and
such processes can be arrested and altered."
The London Borough of Islington is widely considered
the essence and epicentre of New Labour. It also
illustrates the national gulf between rich and poor. The
Andover estate, one of the biggest in the country, has
now become a byword for deprivation, with high rates of
unemployment and ongoing problems with drugs and
crime. Tina Baillie, 41, first moved to the estate in north
Islington when she was 11, and lives there with her three
children, Rick, 18, Abbi, four, and Vinny, two. Her
boyfriend is in prison and she says she has been out of
work for "quite a while" now. Her hopes for her children
are simple and informed entirely by the cycle of
unemployment on the estate. "What do I hope they do?
Work."
Although fiercely defensive of its residents, she blames
the estate in large part for her life as it is now. "I wanted
to do everything when I was younger: air hostess,
modelling, the lot. But what am I doing? Fuck all! I'd
move off tomorrow if I could: get a house and be
somewhere different. But my kids love it and it's what
I've got."
The struggle to get work can often simply be a product
of coming from a certain estate: tenants living there
become stigmatised, often having trouble finding work
simply because of the postcode they live in.
Deborah Murphy is already terrified that her children
will get stuck in the cycle of boredom, crime and
unemployment that mars so many within. The 49-year-
old, unemployed for several years, shares a small flat
with her daughter Keshia, 18, and her four-year-old son
Casey. "It's hard to make something of yourself here,"
she says. "I don't want my son to be here when he's 18 or
19 because there's nothing here. It's hard to get a job: if
they find out what estate you're from when you apply it's
really hard."
Andrea Assanah, 29, has brought up her nine-year-old
son Bradley on the Andover estate, but she spent her
childhood on a mixed street of houses. "I would have
loved that for my son," she said, "but I had to take what I
could when this place came along. There is definitely a
better sense of community on a street and you feel less
cut off."
The Liberal Democrat leader, Nick Clegg, said: "One of
the saddest failings of the Labour Government has been
its failure to really shift the life chances of Britain's
poorest children. The Government has not only allowed
social housing to wither on the vine, it has allowed the
gap between the richest and the poorest in our country to
turn into a chasm. It is a betrayal of everything the
Labour Party was supposed to stand for."
The shadow housing minister, Grant Shapps, agrees:
"This report lifts the lid on the devastating impact of a
failed housing policy that has led to an increasingly
ghettoised social divide. This is bad for those directly
disadvantaged and for society because it simply wastes
lives."
But a spokesman for the Communities and Local
Government Department said: "No government has done
more to tackle deprivation... This Government brought
in major changes to planning policy last April which
means councils must ensure a proper mix of housing to
meet local needs."
From The Independent
DEVON LANDLORDS ASSOCIATION NEWSLETTER Page 31
BENEFIT APPLICATIONS STILL TOO CONFUSING long and poorly laid out, resulting in great confusion
and delay in the application process.
Examples included a 16-sides long letter with the
signature box appearing on the sixth page and another
application form, for disability living allowance, being
45 pages long.
Tim Burr, head of the National Audit Office, which
was in charge of the report said the DWP could
"improve performance further by moving more of its
services online. Where paper forms and letters are still
necessary, it should make them more straightforward
for the customer, particularly for the elderly and other
vulnerable people."
The government website, Directgov, also faced
criticism as the report found basic searches about
benefits could generate some 500 results. The most
useful pages were not the first listed and people said
they were confused and frustrated over the
presentation.
Finally, the report found that too few applications were
computerised and those which were submitted
electronically were still printed out and treated as paper
applications.
This meant that staff did not have access to all the
details of the case as they could not see the paper
version. The report concluded this might also lead to a
number of inaccuracies and some delay.
From Politics.co.
A report published today established that many people
have been unable to claim benefits because the
application procedure was too long and confusing.
The report by the Department For Work And Pensions
(DWP) called for action to move application forms and
other services online to facilitate communication with
elderly and vulnerable people.
"Labour's complex and confusing benefits system
means that millions of people are not claiming the
benefits they are entitled to, leaving many needlessly
stuck in the cycle of poverty," shadow work and
pensions secretary, Theresa May, said.
"It is more critical than ever for millions of families
struggling on low incomes to get the right information
and easy access to the support the government can give
them," she said, "unfortunately for too many people
information produced by the DWP is complicated and
obscure making the process of claiming benefits a
nightmare."
Application forms were still too long and guidance
notes too complicated while computer-generated letters
were also too long and confusing for some people.
Although certain forms could be downloaded from the
internet, most applications for benefits could not be
made online which resulted in extra time and money
spent dealing with them on the phone or face-to-face.
Communication with customers, the report advised,
needs to be simplified and modernised, and cost
efficiencies from reducing the volume of printed
leaflets need to be fully realised.
The report said that four-fifths of applicants for pension
credit were asked to post extra documentation to check
that they were entitled to the benefit, a factor which
discouraged elderly people from applying.
Older people also seemed to misunderstand what was
meant by the attendance allowance with 42 per cent of
people unable to find out about eligibility criteria from
official websites or taking far too long to do so.
Computer-generated letters were thought to be very
ESTATE AGENTS WHO TELL IT LIKE IT IS But while the lettings agent sin list is long, few would
have included "offensive language" on it – until now.
We're not talking about a string of obscenities on the
current state of the property market. Instead, it's an
attempt by an agent to inject humour and honesty into
estate agentese.
Jules Bending of the Real Ralph Bending, an estate
agent in Glastonbury, has been banned from advertising
in a local paper and taken down from property websites
Rightmove and Primelocation.com for an
unconventional approach to marketing properties. Here
(Continued on page 32)
An estate agent's listings
have been banned because of
h i s u n c o n v e n t i o n a l
descriptions. Tony Levene
calls for more of this free and
easy talk
Estate agents: Would there be
more of this is they gave honest descriptions?
Saying letting agents don't need to be controlled is akin
to condemning motherhood and apple pie. Even the
Association of Residential Letting Agents concedes
members need regulating.
Page 32 Issue: 3
PEOPLE IN OVERCROWDED ACCOMMODATION SET TO SOAR
TENANT DEMAND ACROSS ALL SECTORS FALLS SAYS RICS
The immediate outlook for lettings activity remains
poor as the net balance of surveyors reporting new
occupier enquiries remained in negative territory.
However 38% more surveyors reported a fall than a
rise in new enquires for business space compared to
63% in the last quarter – the least negative reading in a
year. The improving enquiry trend was most
pronounced in the south.
Oliver Gilmartin, RICS senior economist said: ‘Whilst
indicators have moved off historic lows, the reality is
that fundamentals in the occupier market continue to
deteriorate as companies remain in consolidation
mode. Landlords are ramping up inducements as they
attempt to secure a letting with sharply rising available
space exerting greater downward pressure on rents.
‘The investment market continues to see declines in
transaction activity although at the slowest pace since
the onset of the downturn. Whilst it is still too soon to
point to an end in price falls, deal activity should be
picking up by the end of the year as those with deep
pockets move in.
‘Given the gloomy backdrop for the sector and
expectation of further rises in vacant space, RICS is
disappointed that the government failed to address the
issue of empty property rates in the recent budget. This
is encouraging the demolition of perfectly good
buildings, discouraging speculative development and
could result in more far reaching problems when the
economy starts to pick-up again.’
From Property Week
Tenant demand across all sectors continued to fall in
the first quarter of this year although the pace of
decline eased back, according to the RICS.
It said in its RICS‘ Commercial Property Survey
published today that it expects rental declines to
accelerate on the back of a record increase in available
floor space.
The net balance of surveyors reporting a rise in
available floor space rose at the fastest pace in the
survey‘s history with 65% more surveyors reporting a
rise than a fall in available floor space up from 57% in
the last quarter of 2008.
It said the ‘ongoing contraction in the economy and the
continuing rise in available floor space have weighed
on surveyor expectations for the rental outlook’.
‘Surveyors are now more pessimistic than ever before
with 80% of surveyors expecting a fall than a rise in
rents. The value of inducements (a lead indicator of
future rental trends) rose at the fastest pace in the
survey’s history as landlords continued to try to boost
demand with incentives,’ it said.
Forty per cent more surveyors reported a fall than a rise
in occupier demand compared to 71% in Q4 2008 and
all sectors remain firmly in negative territory for the
sixth consecutive quarter but the pace of decline
moderated from record lows.
‘This improvement offers some hope that the dramatic
easing in monetary policy and fiscal stimulus measures
are providing some support to the commercial property
market by lifting business confidence,’ it said.
removed after "public complaints", although it's a bit
confused over the nature and number of them, as well
as what sort of appeal Bending was offered against the
decision. Of course, these "members of the public"
could be rival estate agents. Whoever they are, should
they have the right to ban slightly colourful language in
a world where bland is the norm?
It all recalls the wonderful Roy Brooks, a now sadly
late estate agent whose 1960s adverts in the Sunday
papers for London properties scandalised his rivals
with their honesty and jokes – he was not afraid to call
a broom cupboard a broom cupboard rather than a
"bijou flat".
Bending's enemies in the business say he is "publicity
seeking" – and it has certainly worked. But aren't they
all? If not, why are they spending money on
newspapers and appearing on Rightmove? Shouldn't
more estate agents adopt his approach?
From the Guardian Money Blog
are some examples of his style:
"Lease available for what can only be described as
a prime piece of retail crumpet."
"Three bedroom former school house with
everything except the randy old teacher and fag
butts down the loo."
"Cheap but not particularly cheerful ground floor
apartment."
"Characterful as a vegetarian's fart, this Victorian
beauty hums to the rhythm of a well soaked mung
bean."
It may not be to everyone's taste and there's a touch of
innuendo, but how offensive is it? It's not obscene,
racist or classist; it doesn't attack people with
disabilities. And none of it contravenes the Property
Misdescriptions Act – claiming a tenant could "stare
out of the window at Morrisons superstore in sheer
delight" is a matter of fact. Well, maybe not the delight
part.
Rightmove says Bending's listings on its site were
DEVON LANDLORDS ASSOCIATION NEWSLETTER Page 33
Page 34 Issue: 3 BATE MAN ADVE RT
ADVERTISING RATES
500 copies distributed every two months
targeting landlords in Devon
Size and location of advert 6 issues 3 issues 1 issue
Page 468sq cm Back Cover £260.00 £150.00 £60.00
Page 468sq cm Inside £210.00 £125.00 £50.00
Half Page 234sq cm £110.00 £65.00 £25.00
Quarter Page 117sq cm £70.00 £40.00 £15.00
Eighth Page 58.5 sq cm £45.00 £25.00 £10.00
Enquiries to
Christine—Tel 01803 314750
or email [email protected]
Notes:-