Tessa Shepperson’s New “Landlord Law Made Easy” Course

Tessa Shepperson’s New “Landlord Law Made Easy” Course

9:25 AM, 23rd May 2012, About 12 years ago 5

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Don’t you get fed up sometimes by the amount of law we are expected to know?

  • We have to comply with complicated tenancy deposit regulations otherwise our tenants can sue us for a penalty payment and we won’t be able to serve a notice to evict them unless we pay their deposit back.

  • If we want our tenants to leave, perhaps because they are trashing our properties or not paying rent, we have to comply with rules which sometimes seem to have been created specifically to make it more awkward for us
  • We have to prepare tenancy agreements and deeds of guarantee, but if we try to change them to reflect what we have actually agreed with our tenants, the lawyers tell us we’re making them invalid
  • And the health and safety obligations just seem to get more and more, what with gas, furniture, smoking, and now legionnaires disease!

Not to mention having to know laws relating to increasing rent, dealing with joint tenants, and the HMO regulations (which seem to be different in every Local Authority) –  I sometimes feel I’m expected to be a lawyer rather than a landlord.

Landlord Law Made Easy ? !!!

I recently learned that solicitor and Property118 Guest Columnist Tessa Shepperson was developing a law course for landlords.  A Landlord Law Made Easy course! Well that’s what Tessa said, but can law ever be easy?

“Its complicated, I’ll grant you” said Tessa when I caught up with her the other day to have a chat about it, “but landlords aren’t stupid. They can understand legal points if they are explained clearly without a lot of lawyer waffle”.

But Tessa Shepperson IS a lawyer, so how’s she going to do that?

“I have been writing for quite a few years on the Landlord Law blog so that has helped!” she told me.  “You have to use a certain amount of terminology when explaining the law but I have tried to reduce it to a minimum and write as clearly as I can.”  Most who know Tessa will agree that she does have the knack of explaining things clearly.

She very kindly let me have a peek at some of the course content, and my verdict – it’s very good.  Not only are the articles presented very clearly, there are interactive diagrams.  Also, Tessa has managed to negotiate a deal with Destin case law digest to allow free access for students to their private sector tenancies section.

Tessa has also listened to customer requests.

“Several people have asked for mp3 audios so they can download them to listen in their cars” she said “so we are  recording quite a few of the articles, and there will be other audio content.”  There are also videos and interviews with other lawyers.

“Yes” she told me “We have David Smith of Anthony Gold talking about HMO legislation, Simon Parrott of Bedford firm Sharman Law discussing agency law, and John Murray of Emsleys is going to be talking about the role of the Residential Property Tribunal. Not to mention safety exert Paul Marsh who is going to help with the health and safety section, and Property 118 columnist Ben Reeve Lewis who is going to be talking about harassment and unlawful eviction. There may be a few others too.”

Most of the speakers have also promised to stick around in the forums and some will be taking one or more of the group tutorial Q&A classes.

“I am really excited about the course” Tessa told me “it all seems to be coming together really well, and I am thrilled that so many people have offered to help”. Tessa also had a substantial signup to her ‘early bird offer’ a few weeks back.

If you are interested, the course is now open for bookings again, but only up until 10.30 pm on 30 May. And after that?  “It is a taught course” said Tessa, “and I will be taking everyone through the course together. So if you don’t book your place by the deadline you’ve lost your chance!”

You have been warned!

For more information about Tessa Shepperson’s Landlord Law Made Easy course (such as where, when, how much etc.) please click on the logo below or click here.

Easy Course for Landlords Course Logo


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Comments

Ben Reeve-Lewis

12:05 PM, 23rd May 2012, About 12 years ago

I think "edjookation" really is the way forward for landlrods and tenants, and as you know Mark, I'm not the only one going on about this lately as an alternative to licensing.

All I do 8 hours a day, 5 days week is pick up complaints made by tenants against their landlords and when I talk to the landlords it is quite clear they know virtually nothing about the legalities of landlording, even those who have been in the game for years.

The worst offenders are the ones who yell at me for patronising them saying they know the law and then proceed to spout the most ill thought out rubbish. Personally I'm sick of having these tedious and repeptative conversations, which is why I am so keen to push training. I'm also convinced that this is the best way to professionalise an industry with a tarnished reputation.

I know what you mean about feeling you are expected to be a lawyer rather than a landlord but you wouldnt be a property investor without learning how the legal stuff impacts on your landlording would you? Thats why I think there is a big misunderstanding at the heart a person's decision to become a landlord, in that they often think its just about renting something out to make some money.

Oh dearie me no......it doesnt work like that at all.....

Tessa's course can correct that for a very reasonable fee

Mark Alexander - Founder of Property118

12:24 PM, 23rd May 2012, About 12 years ago

Hi Ben

I blame the Get Rich Quick Guru's and Property clubs for the  'buy a property and rent it out - SIMPLES' philosophy. The press deserve their fair share of the blame too. They all bang on about just two things; how much money landlords make and what the latest rogue landlords are up to. What they very rarely share is where to find out how to be a good landlord. That starts with understanding responsibilities, especially legal ones. How can anybody even think about buying their first investment property without knowing what rules and regulations they will be bound? That part of the education process needs to come before buying, not after!
It's for these reasons I'm very pleased to help Tessa promote this course, I wish something like it had been available when I got into property back in 1989 as it would no doubt have saved me a lot of time, money and anguish over the years.

Ben Reeve-Lewis

12:39 PM, 23rd May 2012, About 12 years ago

Absolutely agree, and I hope Tessa's course will mark a change in that, creating a reliable standard for landlords.

Do you remember that TV series where people would sell up and by a dream home in the South of France or Spain? I was always astonished at how little research anyone did, often buying in an area they hadnt even been too or being able to speak the language and then getting caught up in a foreign planning system that they knew nothing about.

The example I always give to landlords to highlight the point is to let them know that the minute you hand over the keys to the tiniest studio apartment, legally they are in exactly the same position as a council with 10,000 properties, absolutely no difference at all.

Although I am pleased so many people are getting into buy to let, god knows we need the properties, it also creates a problem of a vast army of amateurs who dont understand what they are really getting in to

Devon Landlord

16:20 PM, 23rd May 2012, About 12 years ago

Am I missing something here?

Where is it?

When is it?

How much is it?

Sounds too good to miss!

Mark Alexander - Founder of Property118

16:30 PM, 23rd May 2012, About 12 years ago

Simply click on the links in the article or the pictures.

Based on your feedback I will add more text to the article to make things clearer.

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