Landlord Law Newsround #374 » The Landlord Law Blog

Welcome to another Landlord Law Newsround where this week has seen the return of the Renters Rights Bill back to parliament in the House of Lords, where it passed its second reading.

I reported on the debate here.

Let us see what else has been in the news this week.

Severe strain to come on the courts say lawyers

Whilst The Law Society welcomes the Renters Rights Bill it has raised concern that the courts remain underfunded and will make the rental reform harder to achieve when more legal cases will be heard as the government proposes to increase housing legal aid fees and give tenants the legal right to challenge evictions and rent reviews.

Richard Atkinson said

While we applaud the government for its great strides to bolster tenant rights, the Bill will not be effective without further investment in the justice system. We urge the government to provide greater funding and more clarity to the enforcement provisions so that justice is accessible to renters and landlords alike.

The court system is already breaking, let’s hope this government listens.

EPC Tax incentives for landlords

The Conservative Environment Network has called on the government to consider energy efficient tax breaks for landlords to enable properties to be upgraded, which would not only incentivise landlords but would also help tenants in reducing their energy bills and lower the UK’s reliance on foreign fuel imports.

George Freeman, a former science minister said

We need to help landlords who are looking to invest and improve their properties. By cutting taxes on landlords, we will help them improve their properties and boost their value. Renters would also immediately benefit, staying warmer for less and prepared for future winters.

He also stated that the UK has the worst-insulated homes in Europe and that this does need to be addressed.

Another MP, Rebecca Smith said that the government is ‘burdening landlords with added red tape and without any financial support’. The current mandate from the government is for all rental properties to be an EPC ‘C’ by 2030.

Rogue landlord hit with high fine

HMO Landlord Hajra Mehmood has been ordered to pay more than £14,000 in fines by Reading Magistrates’ Court for breaching several HMO regulations such as no working fire alarm system, insufficient means of escape in the event of a fire, lack of fire doors and tenants only having use of an badly kitted out outdoor bathroom in the garden.

Unsurprisingly, the landlord ignored the councils many requests to provide relevant information, the court found her guilty of eight offences in HMO management regulations.

Councillor Ishrat Shah said

Let this be a warning to others to check they are meeting all their obligations, and if not, take immediate action to avoid appearing in court themselves and facing huge financial penalties.