Don’t fall victims to fines of up to £1000
The announcement by a South Yorkshire Council yesterday that rogue landlords could face a new layer of charges for failing to keep their properties up to standard will worry the entire private landlord fraternity. It is a charge that property investors will not be able to protect and one that landlord associations view as unfair.
Fines could run up to £1000
Rotherham Council have told private landlords in the town that any charges that arise from the council looking into complaints of property disrepair or non compliance of compulsory regulation will be passed on to the landlord. The council say this will cover time spent by council offices investigating the complaint as well as the cost of bringing an enforcement order, they estimate that the average cost of such a bill will be around £400 but could easily rise to £1000.
It is a stark warning to private landlords to keep their home in order, as they launch a new career, a reminder that being a landlord is not just a matter of sitting back and counting the rent.
NLA disappointed
The National Landlords Association (NLA) has voiced their concerns over the announcement considering that Rotherham Council already work with the NLA and have embraced the NLA’s accreditation scheme for landlords. A scheme which is designed to improve the lot of tenants by encouraging landlords to provide accommodation to a set standard.
Council adamant they are in the right
The councils stand is perfectly legitimate and is covered by the Housing Act 2004 which states councils can recover expenses racked up by preparing enforcement notices. A local councillor said they get around 1000 complaints per year from disgruntled tenants of private landlords and have no intention of paying for the investigations out of the public purse. The spokeswoman did say that most cases were resolved quickly by the landlords involved but some only took the complaints seriously when taken to court.
Landlords should make the first move
Successful private landlords know that having a good relation with their tenant is vital; it helps cut down on any misunderstandings and often leads to a long and stable tenancy agreement. The danger for landlords who ignore this part of the business is that at the first sign of trouble tenants approach the council rather than the landlord. The problem then becomes more complicated and the relationship soured, it can now also mean an unexpected charge on top of unwelcome publicity. It is always the landlord’s responsibility to make sure his tenant is treated in a respectable manner; his business may depend on it.