Landlords - keep yourselves informed!
Landlords - keep yourselves informed
Whether you're a relatively new landlord or one that has been housing tenants for years, the importance of keeping up-to-date on ever-changing housing laws is paramount, particularly if you're from the 'do it yourself' school of thinking.
If you're going it alone, the last thing you want to do is to rest on your laurels and get caught out when you discover the powers that be made a slight tweak to legislation six months ago, meaning the tenancy you recently signed has left you open to prosecution. That's any landlord's worst nightmare.
Knowledge is power, they say. And it's true. How many landlords are aware of the recent changes surrounding Energy Performance Certificates (EPCs) ? Worse still, how many landlords aren't aware that if their property is three or more storeys high and is going to house five or more tenants, they require a House of Multiple Occupancy (HMO) Licence from the local authority before letting it out? It's been made even more complicated here in Cardiff since the introduction of Additional HMO Licensing, meaning every property with three or more unrelated tenants in Cathays requires a licence.
Believe it or not, we're still advising landlords on the essentiality of protecting their tenants' deposits. Many think they can continue to keep it in their bank account and not let anyone know that it's sitting there. This was outlawed over five years ago, yet we're still talking to people who are completely unaware of the legislation.
In one recent high-profile case, a landlord was found guilty of illegal eviction and sentenced to six months in prison for his wrongdoings. He'd enlisted the help of a friend to physically push out a tenant who had racked up £900 worth of rent arrears. As the landlord hadn't acted within the correct legal channels and had no court order to evict his tenant, he had committed a crime.
Information on the changes to the laws surrounding property is freely available - you've just got to know where to look. We update our News section with the latest happenings from the property world and as boring as it may be read at times (we openly admit that!), it's crucial that you're familiar with the right way of doing things.
At CPS Homes we provide peace of mind through a personal service and expert knowledge, which our clients benefit from every day. With a designated Maintenance and Inspections Team bolstering a 'zero voids' Lettings Team, we keep our tenants safe and our landlords happy.
The introduction of Additional HMO Licensing within the Cathays area of Cardiff only reinforced the need for landlords to employ a local agent with local knowledge and links to the local authority. We enjoy a positive working relationship with Cardiff County Council, which was proven when we were the first Cardiff agent to become accredited with their Landlord Accreditation Wales scheme . And with our very own John Pinn chairing the organisation that promotes best practice amongst letting agents in South Wales, ALMA , it goes to show that not only do we know what we're doing, but we're also advising the powers that be on the position of the Cardiff property market.
