Tag Archives: property advice

Property Landlord advice: Insulation now available!

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By Steve Roulstone

A few weeks ago I wrote that Residential Insulation which is currently being promoted through the Governments Carbon Emission Reduction Traget CERT and the possibility of Landlords being able to claim for expenditure against annual costs, was very difficult to explain to current Landlords and Tenants when the Industry itself had no way of communicating its message.

VNR Contracting Services.

I am pleased to confirm that I have now found a Company who is not only being proactive in speaking and working with other organisations, but that understood what we are trying to do, but is also happy to put leg work in themselves in achieving a result.

Landlord and Tenant choices.

What we need to know is that as Property Managers, we can rely upon a Company who specialise in the Insulation field to explain clearly the benefits of having Insulation fitted and the grants that are currently available for Landlord and Tenant alike, one through direct costs and one through the tax incentive currently being offered.

Action plan.

This means we will be able to write to our Tenants and Landlords alike with information relevant to them and then allow the Company to follow up with visits to answer questions and quote for the work direct ensuring that our Tenants and Landlords are able to take advantage of the schemes before winter this year, if they choose to get involved.

Service provided.

To us, this is part of what we should be doing as Property Managers on behalf of all of our clients, not for any other reason than from a central point we are in a position to receive information as Companies approach us and distribute the same to a wide audience. It is not for us to dictate what decisions are made or even recommend what options are pursued, rather to place the information in front of those who have the right to take advantage of the grants etc that become available.

Reliable Contractor.

What is reassuring now is that having struggled to find a Contractor to work with, we have been approached by one who already works with local Councils and as such carries a pedigree that is re-assuring. I am happy to recommend VNR Contracting Services Ltd and in reality that is only the second recommendations we have made in over two years of writing!

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Current property news; Squatting finally made illegal.

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By Steve Roulstone

It is possibly one of the most depressing and sickening things that can happen to a property owner, to find that squatters have broken in to your property and that the law does not support this effective breaking and entering in any way and the responsibility to deal with the intrusion is thrown squarely on the shoulders of the rightful owner. These words, whilst repeated as I remember them, were used during a presentation to the Lettings Industry during a speech on the use of empty housing some ten years ago.

At last!

Now, after so many years the Government has reacted and made it an illegal offense to squat in premises without a legal right or reason to be present. What should have happened then is the unfortunate property owners who were suffering at present be given their voice and an outcry of at last should have been heard. What was heard was a cry of ‘unfair’ as housing groups and charities warned of rising homelessness.

Responsibility.

Now I must make myself clear here, I am not uncaring of the position people are in that sees them squat in the first place or the problems they now face if removed from property. My problem is that the house owner should have always been in the position of being able to rely upon the assistance of the law and it is unfair to somehow shift the responsibility back on the shoulders of the owners. This is clearly a failing of the social system in providing housing for all in the first place. This is said with full knowledge that there are some who will always remain outside of the system and be non-conformist!

Ignoring the Law.

I have always found it somewhat ironic that the Houses of Multiple Occupation laws were introduced to tackle safety in high rise City Centre properties and for ignoring them Landlords could be banned from owning property. Squatters, by the very nature of what they do, cause far more danger and would never consider such legislation in how they live, yet they are protected because their activity has always fallen under civil offense legislation and not an illegal act. To make it so at last corrects this ridiculous state of affairs.

Financial requirement.

What is so often forgotten is the financial requirement that the owner needs to fulfil and the difficulties they find themselves left in when a property is a target for squatters. In my small way, I feel I need to make a stand for the owners, and no matter how many stories there are of squatters who have maintained a property well, there are just as many of properties left in an appalling condition.

Enforcement.

Now we must hope that this blight (although mainly a City centre problem) is dealt with in short order. It is a fairly simple statement for me to make, because no matter what your feelings, we should live by the letter of the law and I believe ownership rights should be amongst those at the top of the list of laws to abide by. My hope is that the charities and groups working with those made homeless by this change of law do not fund any legal challenge through the courts. Owners, who are not all £multimillion Companies who can afford losses, deserve the law to be enforced in full.

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Property Landlord advice: British Gas laying down the Law!

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By Steve Roulstone

I am not a lover of utility suppliers, mainly because they never seem to know how our Industry works and prove time and again, that they do not have a system that can deal with people moving on a frequent basis. I have seen STWA send out invoices for a few days between Tenants at three times the rate of the normal daily cost, heard staff at British Gas say “let’s turn the fax of today, we have enough paperwork to deal with” and famously (for me) told British Gas, “sorry if I have not pressed the right option, there isn’t one for ‘we do not know what we are doing’ ”

Visit out of the blue.

This time however, they have gone too far! An engineer turned up at a house we manage last week to change the meter because the Tenants were stated as not having paid the Gas Bill. Unbelievably that simple fact was wrong, as the Gas Bill had been paid and was up to date. But that did not stop the BG Employee changing the Tenants on to a pay as you go meter and also whilst at the property looking at the appliances.

Gas Fire turned off.

Mistake number two. Whilst there, without looking at the operation of the fire, he decided the fire was unsafe, disconnected it and labelled it as unfit for use. The Tenant, understandably, phoned us and asked us to explain why? We sent a qualified engineer round, who confirmed, as he had when he carried out the annual Landlords Gas Inspection less than four months earlier, that the fire was perfectly OK and that there was no need what so ever to turn it off.

Not the first time!

What amazed me about this was that our Gas engineer confirmed that this was not the first time he had heard of this and that the meter people employed by British Gas were not even qualified as Gas Engineers. Rather they were trained to carry out a ‘Visual Inspection’ and it seems on that basis only without any qualified reason; the appliance was labelled as dangerous. Rightly, our Gas engineer has sent his invoice to British Gas, as why should the Landlord pay for the mistake?

Liability.               

Now I know from experience that they are not the purveyors of all things good as they like to be perceived (especially from the TV ads) but you have to ask the question, since when have they been given the role of sending unqualified people in too houses to carry out unsolicited inspections? It frankly beggars belief but they must see themselves as the protectors of all things Gas related in Britain’s houses to go about giving their staff this kind of instruction.

Admission.

Now they have apologised for even getting involved in the first place as the Tenants had as stated paid their Gas Bill and the meter will be changed back again. As to whether they will pay for the engineer’s time to confirm all was well? Knowing British Gas I doubt it, but hey, somebody who matters might just read this and agree they should. Feel free to get in touch!

Motivation.

That just leaves us wondering why they should do this in the first place? I am afraid in my opinion I only have one thought as to why and that is to generate income through the repairs that appear without the ability to check correctly, would have been generated from this incident – why else? Forgive me if I am wrong, but why else should British Gas staff be condemning appliances (even though they are unqualified in the first place) during visits they are not even supposed to be making? If we had not known better, the result could well have been a call to a British Gas engineer to repair the fire and the result of that would have been an invoice.

Summary.

By all means call me cynical, but I believe this would probably have been the outcome of a visit to a property lived in by the house owner and the only reason this did not finish in this manner, is because British Gas would not have expected a third party to have knowledge through the Landlords inspection of the appliances and be able to call upon an engineer as we did. In other words it resulted from British Gas NOT understanding how the rental system works, but then I already know that.

Bad practise British Gas, Bad Practise!

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Current property News: Montague report offers the Key for growth? Part 2

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By Steve Roulstone

In looking at the second part of the Review of the Barriers to Institutional Investment in private Rented Homes, I have read and will comment on the sections headlined; The Barriers and Conclusion and The Recommendations.

 The Barriers.

 Most of these sections concentrate on the land and planning permission needs, but do refer to some rather confusing detail. Such as that Management costs are as high as 30% for Residential property. Now I know that National Companies specialise in offering services for Companies with large property portfolios, but when you consider the normal cost for Management on a local level would average at 10%, I find it difficult to see how this rises to 30% when managing from afar.

 Total Costs.

 I may of course be wrong, but it rather looks as though it is the cost of maintaining the property that has been added to the running costs, however, as the report confirms that it is normally Capitol growth that is considered to be the income from residential and not the rental income, whereas with Commercial investment it is the opposite way round. Surely then, if Commercial values drop over time, the cost of maintenance should be offset against Capitol growth and it is both that should be considered, as they are real income, when comparing residential to Commercial? Is this where encouraging Tax breaks can be made?

 Local market.

 Otherwise, once again, local Management will answer the cost issue, rather than distance Management having to find a local Agent to carry out the role of providing a Tenant, let the Local agent be the sole property Manager. Costs halved? – probably!

Lack of Experience.

The report then states that there is a lack of experience in knowing how any scheme would operate. But this does not exist in the market place; rather this confirms that in compiling the report, the Property Management Industry has not been approached. A fact confirmed by the later statement in Recommendation Five: that the market would benefit from; the professionalism of the management service. Had the Industry been spoken with (also confirmed in the Terms of Reference) then Sir Adrian Montague would have been aware that one already exists.

Right Model.

I also believe that the right model already exists as well. There are numerous professional Letting agents, who also operate as Property Managers as well, looking after leasehold sites (Block Management) throughout the UK. Providing that any incentives in profitability and land availability are made available Nationwide and providing there exists Agents with the ability to run both, then costs can be controlled, the whole Industry will benefit and progress can be made throughout the UK.

Professional Management.

But I believe that this is another opportunity for the Government to change their attitudes towards the rental sector, which is growing at the same speed home ownership for individuals is declining giving a thriving rental sector the opportunity to be part of the growth if not the very reason for it, that this country desperately needs. Tied with ensuring the Industry moves forward in a professional self managed, or Government managed (although I believe this is where the lack of motivation currently exists) manner, ensuring the scheme meets all the requirements listed in this report and that the properties concerned will continue to give the profitable long term return institutional investors require.

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Current Property news: Rents catching up with property prices.

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By Steve Roulstone

A report by the RICS in to rents paid dated July 2012 show an increase of 4.3% for the past year in rent levels across the Country. This confirms that the Industry is still healthy and demand continues to be strong. At the same time, house prices are predicted to start to rise again as the Country comes out of recession. This is probably not too much of a surprise given the drop in prices seen over the last few years, but does point to the current trends being a good time to buy property and develop portfolios as with continuing demand and climbing rents the investment, currently forecast at producing over a 5% return, should continue to rise.

Last Ten Years.

However, before there is too much clamour about greedy Landlords and long suffering Tenants some facts behind the figures should be given, for what happens year on year should, I feel, be balanced over a longer period of time, so that a more realistic figure can be arrived at. If we look at data for the last ten years the picture between Rents and House prices show quite different results.

Playing catch up.

In 2000 at a time when the rental market was less than 10% of UK housing stock, rent for an average 3 bed property in Stafford was £400.00 This is now £575.00 An average house in the UK cost £101500 and at present that price is £161777. Compare the two sets of figures and a quite different picture appears.

Renting still good value.

Because house prices rose so heavily (Ironically largely on the back of a rush for Buy to Let mortgages!) that average rent in 2000 was just under 4% of the house value. Now it is just over 3.5% The gap is still some £60.00 per month less than is currently being achieved and just shows how far behind house prices when considered as a percentage return, rental prices had fallen.

Predictions correct.

What this also confirms is that it is in line with the market levelling out for rents to continue to increase, and they are predicted to do so at 2% higher than house prices will rise. It is also of note that the period before 2000 was very stable and rents were indeed calculated against the value of the property. This obviously reflected the local market rather than national averages, but the comparison still stands up and I am more than aware that the rent locally is far behind that achievable in other Towns and Cities.                                                                                                                             

Statistics and Statistics!                                                                                                                                                        

Once again what appears on the face to be unreasonable increases can be explained when looked at over a wider period of time or against something which gives a broader context. I am also fully aware that others may be able to give a differing picture using their own parameters. So I will just go back to the more reliable method mentioned above, common when I started Castle Estates.

£400 rent against a house valued at £100000 gave £4800 per year, a return of 4.8%

£570 rent now against the same house valued at £159500 gives £6840 per year, a return of 4.2%

Therefore rents still have some way to go to seek parity with prices in 2000.

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Lettings show Sales how to show a home!

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By Steve Roulstone

My second Blog this week is not my usual subject, but I just cannot miss commenting on two properties that I have visited on the last three weeks, both on behalf of differing Landlords and for differing reasons, but it is the difference between them and the manner in which the Lettings Industry views property as opposed to the Sales Industry as to what is acceptable and what is not that I wish to comment about.

Lettings Viewing.

The first property I have mentioned before in this Blog, it is a house that we have let before, but not before we had gone into long conversations with the Landlord about the standard of the house and what work needed to be done. On being asked to re-visit, I found that the property was worse again, as the outgoing Tenant had removed the stair carpet and left protruding nails and an exposed carpet edge right at the top of the stairs, which was a clear trip hazard for anybody visiting the house, never mind potential Tenants. The outgoing Tenant had also left furniture in rooms, some in a state of disrepair and some just left, but it was not the Landlords property and would not form part of any let and needed to be moved. Finally, the garden which was packed with plants and bushes anyway, seemed to have been untouched throughout the summer months, meaning it now took on the appearance of a jungle, in fact I could only get pictures when taken from an upstairs bedroom window that gave any impression of its appearance.

Not suitable.

The only decision I could come to was to advise the Landlord that the property needed attention before it could be considered suitable for viewings. This was not a Managed property, so we were unable to do anymore until the Landlord had dealt with the stairs carpet, organised the removal of furniture with the outgoing Tenant and done something about the Garden, presumably also with the last Tenant. No matter what was promised, because we were not managing, we would not accept responsibility without knowledge that the work had been completed. We would also not accept a position where the outgoing Tenant could accuse us of damaging furniture they had left. In short, there has to be some semblance of order between the end of one Tenancy and what is done to start the second.

Sales Viewing.

I cannot begin to think of words to describe the second property and what we found. The Landlord wanted our opinion of the property as an investment, a service we will carry out when appointed, to give our experience on what to look for and more likely, look out for. The property was for sale as on behalf of a clearance organisation, following a failed mortgage. Nothing what so ever, had been done to change the house from how it was left by the previous owners, other than to place paper tape on toilets, which did little to hide the worst kind of mess one can imagine in toilets (there were two in the same condition) which was smeared over floors, doors and walls. The furniture in some rooms were caked in I have no idea what, and carpets in two rooms had not been cleaned despite the dried remains of what had clearly been somebody being ill. Despite this, somebody had gone to the trouble of bagging the empty drink cans in plastic bags. I did not count them but there must have been two dozen bags – full!

Not suitable.

I washed my hands when I got back to my office and wished I could wash my shoes and change my clothes. The smell was impossible to describe, but the house was possibly the worst I have ever been asked to view. Despite this, the Sales Agent showed no surprise in our comments of disgust and offered no apology or explanation as to why it had been left in this condition, or worse being offered for sale? Now I know that the buyer will not be expected to live in the house as it is currently being shown, but never the less, it is a health hazard and offers more danger to people looking, in my opinion, than any house I have looked at being offered to the rental market. I was just amazed and have had to comment about the difference. I know the Sales Agents are struggling for business still, but I would have thought that as a general statement, they would at least take some pride in what they are selling. I mean, a Car can be refurbished, but you would never expect a garage to sell one in the state of the house I was shown this week!

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Current Property News: English Housing Survey points of interest.

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By Steve Roulstone

The figures relating to the latest English Housing Survey have been released for 2010 / 2011. There are several results which are worthy for note and for what they are worth I include my thoughts on these highlight points for the Rental Industry. Each of these are included within the report and you can see for yourself they have been reported on in great depth, but what is not mentioned is the fact that these figures when isolated for our Industry, prove that the rental sector shows no sign what so ever in abating, indeed the pattern is shown as one of upwards growth.

Ten Year high.

And growing! I have stated before that I believe the industry represents a figure approaching 20% of the UK housing stock and these figures confirm the growth shown from the last report as being constant. This 17% figure represents an annual growth of 1.7% which with the same pattern for the last eighteen months would produce a current percentage of 19.55% across England. This does confirm more privately rented properties than the social rented sector as that figure continues to fall. But the most significant figure is the actual number of properties this now represents, as 20% would equal 2.89 million houses, up by 1.45 million in ten years. With 5% growth in the last three years, over 20,000 properties per month have been added to our sector during this same period.

Only lively sector.

That the rental sector is the only area where activity is significant is confirmed by the number of people moving during the period this survey was taken. Out of the whole, private rental sector was responsible for 63% (1.26 million) Confirming just how people are relying upon the Private Rented sector at present, as the means to finding accommodation throughout England.

Unusable stock.

One figure that shouts out at present is the number of houses that remained empty at the time of the survey, 940,000 (nearly 1 million!).  83%, some 780,200 properties were in the private sector.  On the basis of these last two figures, the best way of utilising these properties and using them again for habitation, knowing that a percentage would not be fit for habitation, would be to introduce them to the rental market and an Industry that was better regulated through professional legislation would no doubt attract more interest!

Rented property better than estimated.

The Standard Assessment Procedure (SAP) has been updated during 2009 and the new rating shows Private Rented sector property to be far better than we have been led to believe. There have been several comments in the last twelve months by the Government supporting initiatives to improve the Energy Efficiency of the Private Rental sector, including one that stated Private Rental property was the worst performing sector in the UK.  If this is the case, then these figures show there has been one hell of an increase in quality, as by now it will outperforming Privately owned property!

Shift of emphasis.

Perhaps now the Government will stop introducing so many onerous performance requirements solely for rental properties within the 2018 Green Deal energy performance plans and include moves to encourage ALL privately owned properties, whether they be rented OR owned! There now seems no excuse to target just one sector, and if changes are made, I just wonder if they will be watered down, with the knowledge that the privately owned sector is much harder to corner. I have always felt that the rental sector was targeted because it could be rather than because of any urgent need, as an excellent way of achieving Energy performance figures for to meet Government promised figures!

Healthy statistics.

Yes I know there are statistics more statistics and damn right lies! But these figures do show a continued shift towards renting as a lifestyle choice, as well as the affordable alternative to buying. Otherwise those moving would not be so high in the rental sector, but as an industry, these figures I hope will be used as further ammunition to prove to the current Government, that professional legislation is what is required as the best way forward to breed confidence and higher standards. I equally hope that our professional bodies are ensuring that they are not only requesting legislation, but confirming just how this can be achieved through self Policing within the Industry. I for one live in hope!

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Current Property News: London gap in house prices growing.

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By Steve Roulstone

The latest set of figures from the Land Registry House price Index, record prices from May this year and show the average house price split by County and Region across the whole of the Country.  The Headline Statistics concentrate on the average house price in the UK which continues to be disappointing after what was considerable hope that prices were recovering after the winter. But what the figures clearly show and the headline report fails to mention is that when looked at closer the gap between London and the rest of the country is continuing to grow.

London and the South East.

London showed an annual increase of 7.7% and the South East of 1.7% these two areas were (apart from the East) the only areas to show an increase. The stand out figure for me is the size of growth in London compared to the rest of the country and this does clearly show how an average price does not reflect what is still happening outside of the Capital.

Regional.

In the West Midlands for example, where we are based (as far as the collated figures are concerned) we have shown a monthly growth of 2.0% but we still have an annual decrease of 1.2%. This does mirror what we have seen and the level of activity Estate Agents are now reporting and reflects the overall monthly growth of 2%. But a quick glance at the rest of the Country and you can clearly see how many areas are still seeing depressed figures.

What happens in London.

Unlike the popular saying does not stay in London and even from my days in retail more years ago than I wish to remember, does eventually spread to other areas, but having seen the differential close for many years, it does seem that this effect reflects a period of sustained downturn and recession, but it is now so different that there is an argument for the Land Registry to split between London and the South East (or just London) and the rest of the Country.

True feel.

 It would probably be unacceptable from a political viewpoint, because of how bad the rest of the UK fares when considered against London, but it is probably the only way to get a truly balanced picture of what is actually happening outside of the Capitol. I like most who look at these figures on a regular basis do at times scan rather than study and I am sure like most who read them fail at times to see the true picture and for me separation should now be part of the reporting every month.

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Client Money Protection explained and TPO client survey.

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By Mike Edwards

Client Money Protection explained and TPO client survey.

Letting Agents can go bust (I know!) But when they do, it can be amid claims of owing landlords and tenants thousands of pounds, so here’s a quick guide to what Landlords and Tenants should look for to safeguard their money.

Letting agents are not regulated, which means anyone can open and trade as a letting agent without any qualifications or licence. Like any other business, if a letting agent stops trading, landlords and tenants become creditors and risk losing any rents or deposits held by the agent.

To stop this, several industry groups run ‘client money protection’ schemes – sometimes called ‘CMP’. Belonging to a client money protection scheme does not mean a landlord will receive compensation if something goes wrong – the schemes have terms and conditions, like time limits for claims and caps on pay outs, so check the finer points do not exclude your rental business.

The main CMP schemes are:

● National Approved Letting Scheme (NALS)

NALS will pay up to £25,000 for any one claim, with a cap for landlords of three months’ rent. The total top pay out for a single claim is £300,000, while the scheme will only pay £3 million in any one year.

● Association of Residential Letting Agents (ARLA)

ARLA will compensate a landlord up to a limit of £25,000. Landlord claims are limited to three months’ rent. The total payable for a member company is £500,000. In any one year, the scheme has a limit of £3 million.

● Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS)

RICS will pay a maximum of £50 000 per letting agents, subject to an overall limit for the scheme of £5.3 million for any one year.

● SafeAgent

SafeAgent is not a CMP scheme, but an umbrella group for letting agents who are members of a CMP scheme. The aim is to promote money protection by displaying a single, recognisable logo that shows any money with a letting agent is safeguarded. Letting agents belonging to client money protection schemes should display a logo of one or more of the schemes listed above on their web sites and letterheads.

Even if you see the logo, still check the CMP scheme web site to make sure membership is valid. Some unscrupulous letting Agents say they are members and use the logo when client money is not protected. Don’t forget that just because the agent was part of a CMP scheme one year does not mean membership is still in force years later – check every year.

TPO canvasses members over CMP

The Property Ombudsman Scheme (TPO) is also aware of the importance of CMP as it is now canvassing member firms over the provision of insurance.

“Whilst membership of TPO requires all residential sales and letting agents to abide by the TPO Codes of Practice, have Professional Indemnity Insurance, and agents holding clients’ money to deposit this money in a separate clients account, it does not currently require residential letting agents to hold CMP,” explains Bill McClintock, chairman of the TPO operating company who is circulating a consultation document to members. “Given that the Code of Practice is generally accepted as the primary standards document in the industry, the omission of such an important aspect needs to be addressed. “This is something the board and the Ombudsman, Christopher Hamer, have been considering for some time and recent incidences of both landlords and tenants suffering financial loss means action on CMP is now imperative. Private residential lettings reportedly make up 17 per cent of the UK housing stock.”

The consultation paper sets out various options and points out that member’s of ARLA, NALS, and RICS are required to have CMP. Some letting and management companies acting as subcontractors also provide CMP on all landlord and tenant funds.

McClintock is asking TPO members which of these options, or an alternative fallback position that all TPO member firms without CMP must disclose in writing and actively flag its absence at the point of instruction or sale of services, they would prefer to see enforced through the TPO Lettings Code of Practice.

 “TPO and its Codes of Practice are part of a consumer protection regime with the firm objective of raising standards in the industry,” adds McClintock. “Whilst TPO cannot force agents to sign up to the Code, firms should see the Codes as enhancing the reputation of the industry and for those that are already members of TPO the addition of a clause requiring CMP will enable them to demonstrate to landlords and tenants that their money is protected.

“TPO is a not-for-profit company and will not itself offer CMP to member firms as a new revenue stream. It is not appropriate for TPO to offer such services but I believe it is appropriate for member firms to have such cover. However, members now have the opportunity to express what they think should be the minimum required standard.”

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Property Landlord advice: Energy performance just not getting through.

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By Steve Roulstone

I have had cause of late to look at the tax allowance for Landlords in relation to insulating properties (Landlords Energy Saving Allowance) and with the intention of providing a good service for the Landlords we manage property for, I have been looking at how to get the message across in letters to not only the Landlords, but also the current Tenants who will of course benefit from lower bills, indeed most of the interest has come from Tenants who are able to claim grants against insulation costs in some cases at virtually no cost at all, in seeking permission to have insulation installed in loft or walls.

Little interest.

The problem seems to be that very few people are actually interested despite all of the talk around the Green Deal which is due to be introduced by 2018 and was again in the news last week, although the Government release gave very little content or actual information to assist you in understanding what this bill will mean to Landlords.  The problem though seems to be lack of knowledge of what is currently available and this is probably because it is still too little for Landlords to consider.

The Industry.

I have looked for information from one of the leading insulation suppliers to help get the message across but it would seem that not only do they have no literature to explain the current assistance Landlords can claim but have very little knowledge as employees either. This is a bit surprising considering the tax allowance of £1500 has been available for many years but what seems to be more surprising is that it is due to be phased out by 2015.

Landlords.

There is certainly very little knowledge amongst our Landlords and that is one reason why I wanted to go through this procedure, because as Agents we should always advise our Landlords, but apart from a release by the Residential Landlords Association which is very current, I have seen little other promotion or discussion.

Tenants.

You would think given the current legislation surrounding EP Certificates that Tenants would be on the ball! But since the introduction of EPC’s, we have carried out on well over 3000 viewings (as a conservative estimate) and yet we are still never asked for the EPC more than once a month. Roughly 1%. However, when Tenants are able to benefit from installing insulation at very little cost, then that is where interest does grow and why shouldn’t it?

Conclusion.

What this does seem to show is that whatever the end result of the Green Deal, what is on offer, is going to have to be easy to understand and attractive to all concerned if it is to be a success. Otherwise it will be ignored and clearly if this is enforceable then we will once again have further legislation that will produce a black hole for Councils looking to enforce matters such as Houses of Multiple Occupation legislation and indeed the current EPC legislation which only come to light when those who ignore it are caught. This is purely because Councils do not have the man power to seek out Landlords who fail to comply and the danger is that this legislation will fall under the same heading!

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