Nottingham inspecting on average 3 houses per year per member of staff

Reply to the comment left by Christopher Rogal at 27/07/2021 - 09:54
We hope Nottingham renewal will be rejected too.

Reply to the comment left by Simon M at 27/07/2021 - 13:16
£55,000 for each house improved.

Reply to the comment left by Mick Roberts at 27/07/2021 - 16:19
Tbh I self manage and was hoping to start to move over to letting agents as more rent to try cover costs but didn’t realise you had to do another form for a simple change

Presume it’s trying to make sure no rogue agents managing properties

Thanks for the info Mick I did see the article and thought what a joke, I originally thought it was 600 this year so far and was not until read realised was total

I’m hoping the inspections for mine will be post September as then If they do an enforcement notice for repairs I will just say I’m selling up which tbh am Tempted to do but would leave loads of tenants homeless who I know will stay for another 10-20years

Like you said rents for the same house for me now range from £535-750 for same quality housing on same street

I can’t kick some tenants out to make more profit as wouldn’t know where they would go

Is there likely to be a review period then to extend the scheme and are you on a panel or is there a landlord panel they liaise with

Reply to the comment left by Andy at 27/07/2021 - 17:31
Yes it's called a variation of change. When first introduced, u will laugh, u couldn't access it when logged in. U had to log out & could only find it via Google.
I want all mine to go with Letting Agent, but they won't & start pleading.

It may for Rogue agents, but I thought it was more who they could send letter to for inspecting etc.

I'm same as u, can't sell as tenants can't get anywhere. But I can't keep up with Council demands as I get older. We had no problems pre-licensing.

Linda Woodings has apparently employed someone already to make sure she gets it through. Others think she won't get the same size scheme again cause no proof ASB gone down etc. in the area's it's in.
We need to write to secretary of state about 6 months before Aug 2023 or year before to tell him the complete waste of money. I've got National audit office doing investigation too for waste of money. I'm on no panel, I & we are the panel. They don't liaise with any good landlords. I'd join EMPO if u not already.

Here's what I've started to send tenants ONLY AFTER I've spoke to 'em.

I've not finished this, only rough draft.

Please ring me about this text and read to the end before u panic.

We'd like to sell your house within 10 years for the reasons below. We can sell it u and pay your deposit for u, if u r able to buy it. Sell it to someone u know who would keep u in. We have people who may buy & keep u in.

Lot of Landlords give tenants 2 months notice. We recognise this is your home, and would never contemplate selling on u if you've done nothing wrong, however the Council's and Govt are making it really difficult for the good Landlords-All to get back at the bad Landlords.

We are only in this position cause the Council's and Govt are bringing that many rules in retrospectively, they making it extremely hard for good landlord that's abiding by the rules and is getting older, to carry on.
We doing 4 times the amount of admin, paying out thousands in unnecessary costs-Nothing which makes your home better.

U should all really be writing and meeting your MP and Councillors and Govt and Council and telling em what they are doing to people who didn't have a problem before.

The latest rule they are now proposing to bring in in 2025 is EPC to a C. I've already got the Combi boiler, UPVC etc., so it's external wall insulation. Approximately £10,000 each house, but they not bringing it in for Council houses or Owner houses-Only to Private Landlords.

I never thought we'd be in the trap we in now where Councils and Govt have made it that bad for Landlords, that it's made it extremely hard for Benefit tenants to move house.
Years ago, u had a choice to move, and then I'd have sold your house as u moved on. We all in a trap where u can't move now if u want to. Govt and Councils has done this to u. Landlords packing up in their droves due to Licensing and Universal Credit.
It's also the bad tenants some of these rules are being bought in for, which makes it unfair for u good ones.

I used to be able to give u keys, service your boiler and u tell me when something needs doing. I'm now doing courses at 4am just to keep u in your home. And many of u aware, I don't want the houses any more, only keeping them to keep u in your home.

U can buy it now if u or your buyer can arrange it. Also happy to wait for u up to 10 years. I'll pay your 5% deposit if u can buy it.

Please work with me and let's find a Landlord that is younger and not weary of the all the latest rules, who's happy to keep u in for 10+ years. I'd get a lot more selling it empty, but I'm mindful that it's been your home for years, so am prepared to lose £10,000 to sell to discount Landlord to keep u in your home.

I may have a few people now who wish to buy and keep u in if u wish to go ahead now.

Some of u have been with me 24 years and I don't take this decision lightly.
Some of you's kids are also getting older and your Housing Benefit towards the rent will drop massively when your kids are 18 or leave. I used to have affordable flats for u to move into. Now the people aren't moving from my flats any more.

Govt & Councils are making far too many retrospective changes when the tenant has already lived there years & the Landlord bought the house years ago. If people have not had a problem for years, Govt & Councils should be rewarding them and lower costs, not penalising them and higher costs.

U can start to stop this spiralling lack of supply of houses to yourself by emailing the below and putting your name address phone number at top of email.

Councillor who responsible for Licensing fee increase
linda.woodings@nottinghamcity.gov.uk

Nottm Council Labour boss who supports Licensing
david.mellen@nottinghamcity.gov.uk

Nottingham North MP
alex.norris.mp@parliament.uk

Reply to the comment left by Mick Roberts at 27/07/2021 - 17:41
Not quiet to the same detail
But same conversations have been had with my tenants unfortunately

Even my private tenants can’t afford the mortgages even though they can the rent it’s silly as there in a trap like we are

I’ll def join empo soon as haven’t previously but think may need to get on their training and webinars more to keep up

Reply to the comment left by Andy at 27/07/2021 - 18:00Yes,
My missus said I ain't helping em cause I'm doing approx £100 per month cheaper rents than what they'd have to pay elsewhere, she says I've created the trap that they've got it too good where they now can't move. It wasn't intentional by me, I try to look after them if I can afford to. So we all in a trap.
If licensing and UC sorted theirselves out, Landlords would take them again at not extortionate rent supply and demand.
Yes EMPO very good on the training etc.

Hopefully they won't get their authority to continue the scheme after 5 years. This report has been published because they have to publish a mid term report as part of the scheme. But this isn't a report, it's no more than lip-service.

On Section 8 of the report, it explains that they have completely failed to identify the impact that the scheme has had on it's primary goals, namely reducing Anti-Social Behaviour, and improving the quality of PRS housing in the area, stating that it is 'too early' in the scheme. This is a mid-term report and yet they are saying that half way through this project they have ZERO data to measure success. It beggars belief that a scheme with zero identified benefit after 2 and a half years is being continued.

On Section 9 of the report, Financial assessment including fee structure, there is not a single monetary fact. Not a single £ sign. No indication of the revenue received and no assessment of the cost of the scheme so far. No indication of the proportion of properties licensed or those who have evaded a licence. No assessment of the change to the average cost of renting in the area since the scheme started, and how this compares to other areas. No assessment of the cost of the scheme to the tenants that it affects. No assessment of whether the cost of the licenses has been passed to the tenants by way of rent increases above the areas outside of the scheme.

The report has zero reference to HHSRS, which most people would regard as an indication of the quality of housing. There is no mention of how many Category 1 hazards have been identified, and no mention of how many Category 2. A scheme designed to improve housing conditions that has no reference to the number of hazards identified is laughable.

Selective Licensing have had a small number of successes. Primarily the scheme has fined a few people for failing to have a license. That appears to be their main success. To introduce a scheme whereby the main success is fining people who fail to adhere to the scheme.
Their secondary success has been the improvement of a vanishingly small number of properties. A recent example they boasted about on twitter was whereby they had got a landlord to resurface an uneven rear yard. The yard was indeed uneven but no more so than the state of the roads where I live, and was far better than is sometimes provided in (council houses) If that is typical of the defects that have been identified then it would suggest that there is almost no problem with the PRS sector. The faults that Selective Licensing appear to have identified are majority mid-level Category 2 HHSRS, at worst.
I have only seen one example that they have identified of the sort of housing that we see on TV as part of the 'rogue landlords' type of documentary. The lack of examples that are published by the Selective Licensing team as 'success' stories rather suggests that their 'successes' are little more than trivial and would embarrass the team more than promote them.

Reply to the comment left by Jessie Jones at 31/07/2021 - 10:06
Great words Jessie, let's hope u r in Nottingham & u can send these to Secretary of state on renewal.

I've said same, their main fines come from fining Landlords who haven't paid the License. Even though their houses were good & no faults found.

Reply to the comment left by Jessie Jones at 31/07/2021 - 10:06
Totally agree with every point you have said

For me I know of people who have stumbled into being a landlord who Are not going through licensing and I bet the council don’t find them

I’ve told them they will get fined but they
Have said they are only doing short term let till
They sell in year but can’t recoupe proportion of the license fees

It’s a joke as I bet they haven’t even invested into any software or data sets to use to cross compare data from
UC payments vs licensed properties I
Mean it’s just common sense as well as land registry vs council tax bill etc yes people will be legitimately paying for a partner etc but it’s all common sense

Can you do a request of information of how they compare and identify unlicensed landlords etc

Reply to the comment left by Andy at 31/07/2021 - 21:27My understanding is that they already cross reference with Universal Credit claims, and even working tenants can fall on hard times and have to claim UC.
I suspect that their tactics to identify unlicensed properties will be heavily dependant on disgruntled tenants dobbing their landlord in.
For myself, I would encourage any landlord to register, if only because the penalties for not registering are huge, namely Rent Repayment Orders.
But encouraging landlords to comply with the regulations is not the same as supporting the regs.