Category: Advice

Tenants stunned to be told they are being charged for lawn mowing

Posted on 30th November 2011

Housing association tenants in Thornbury have expressed their anger after being told they will be expected to pay extra maintenance charges on top of a rent increase in 2012.
A communication by landlords Merlin Housing Society informing them that they will have pay an extra £1.68 per week to cover the cost of mowing the lawn outside their homes from April next year stunned the tenants in Buckingham Parade. The letter also said the sum could go up by £3 per week each April for the […]

Irish Government launch their own “Green Deal”

Posted on 29th November 2011

Property investors with an interest in landlord insurance policies are being warned that the Irish Government will prevent them from renting their properties out unless they improve the energy efficiency of their homes.
In a move something similar to the “green deal” initiative launched by the Westminster government in the UK, its close neighbours across the Irish Sea are determined that landlords benefiting from the rental boom there, don’t forget to look after their tenants.
Energy Minister Pat Rabbitte unveiled the “Affordable Energy Strategy” bill yesterday and […]

Sites for housing in Keswick may have to be Greenfield

Posted on 28th November 2011

The Lake District National Park Authority say that Greenfield sites in Keswick need houses built on them in order to meet the increasing demand for homes in the area. However, the proposals have attracted opposition from residents who have sent the council two petitions with thousands of signatures.
The local council say there is a need for one-hundred new affordable homes in Keswick, and that the suggested sites will be suitable for 157. Research was carried out and a list of suitable locations was made. The […]

Landlord who ignored planning rules brought before court

Posted on 24th November 2011

Tenants in a block of flats in Waltham forest, London have successfully managed to bring a rogue landlord to heel after suffering years of hassle.
Jeanette Eccles and Silvia Nicoleascu both lived in the same apartment block and both suffered due to changes made by the landlord to optimise her profits. Miss Eccles’ ground floor flat was constantly flooded with leaks from the flat above and Mrs Nicoleascu, who lived above Miss Eccles, was paying the gas bill and council tax bill for a one bedroomed […]

Council plan to increase and keep their housing stock

Posted on 23rd November 2011

Fears that Northumberland County Council will sell off social housing from HfN (Homes for Northumberland) if it took over its management, have been eased. If anything the council look set to be getting a bigger landlord insurance bill as they add more houses to those that they already own.
An in-principle deal will see the council take on both the management and maintenance of the social housing provider. At a recent residents meeting dozens of worried tenants articulated their fears to council leaders. Among the concerns […]

Landlords suffering as advice agencies help tenants avoid debt repayment

Posted on 21st November 2011

A number of social landlords are claiming that advice agencies are wrongly helping tenants to write-off their rent arrears by encouraging them to obtain a Debt Relief Order (DRO). Landlords report that they have to claim on their landlord insurance policies more and more as the use of DROs spread rapidly.
Landlords claim that financial advice agencies are now telling tenants on low incomes to write off as much as £15,000 by simply getting a DRO. The Insolvency Service approved 7300 DROs in the last three […]

Landlord unhappy with standard of tenants found by the council

Posted on 18th November 2011

A businessman has hit out at a council run property letting partnership after it has left him with a £6,000 bill for repairs and cleaning. The landlord who has many properties protected by landlord insurance claims he took on two tenants recommended by the council scheme that damaged his properties and left without paying.
Avey Mohammed was horrified to find the level of damage inflicted on his properties. Graffiti had been sprayed on the walls and the tenants ripped out all electrical fittings including every radiator, […]

More of the same for booming landlord sector

Posted on 17th November 2011

The prospects for property investors with an interest in landlord insurance continue to improve according to the latest report to emanate from the housing industry.
The Halifax Bank, the UK’s largest mortgage provider, says that house prices have risen by just over 1% in the last 12 months to an average value of £163,311. The increase may not seem much, but for private landlords who have seen their rental income soar over this period, knowing that their investment is also increasing in value is the icing […]

Shake up of the social housing maintenance rules

Posted on 18th April 2011

Housing tenants living in Bristol will now be able to carry out their own repairs to their rented home and keep the cash that they save their landlord. Under new Coalition reforms residents living in social housing could earn cash under the Tenant Cashback scheme which is part of a plan that ministers believe will actually save money.
The change in regulations would see social landlords who own thousands of properties all covered by landlord insurance allow their tenants the chance to manage the maintenance budget. […]

Housing associations merger means new landlord for thousands

Posted on 15th April 2011

Over 20,000 households in the North East now have a new landlord after Isos Housing finalised the amalgamation of three small not for profit housing associations into one large one.
All the homes were previously owned, managed and covered with landlord insurance by NomadE5 Housing, Castle Morpeth Housing and Milecastle Housing Association and have all been part of the Isos Group for quite some time. Now all the associations have joined together to become one organisation, with the same board and same management team looking after […]