A: A number of landlords have been in touch with queries regarding maintenance and repairs being carried out in rental properties during the current emergency and the Government has now come out with guidance which you can find below.
Work carried out in people’s homes
Work carried out in people’s homes, for example by tradespeople carrying out repairs and maintenance, can continue, provided that the tradesperson is well and has no symptoms.
Again, it will be important to ensure that Public Health England guidelines, including maintaining a two-metre distance from any household occupants, are followed to ensure everyone’s safety.
No work should be carried out in any household which is isolating or where an individual is being shielded, unless it is to remedy a direct risk to the safety of the household, such as emergency plumbing or repairs, and where the tradesperson is willing to do so. In such cases, Public Health England can provide advice to tradespeople and households.
No work should be carried out by a tradesperson who has coronavirus symptoms, however mild.
A: A guarantor is someone who has agreed to pay the rent if the tenant fails to, for whatever reason. Depending on the Agreement, which must be in writing, the guarantor may also be responsible for other conditions under the tenancy, for example any damage caused at the property.
You will need to reference check the guarantor to make sure that they can afford to pay the rent in exactly the same way that you would reference check the tenant. I would suggest that the guarantor should be a family member (mother/ father/ brother etc.) not a friend or previous partner, for example. The guarantor should also be a UK resident so that, if required, you would be able to instigate legal action against them.
You should write to the tenant’s guarantor explaining their responsibilities and enclose a copy of the Tenancy Agreement before the tenant signs it.
During the period of the tenancy it is important to keep the guarantor informed about any issues, particularly rent arrears, so that they can take action to resolve any problems and minimise any potential losses.
Finally, do you actually need a guarantor?
Well, the question is why has the tenant offered one in the first place? Do they have a poor credit history – any CCJs (County Court Judgements) or similar? Do they have a history of not looking after previous properties and/ or causing damage or noise nuisance?
At the end of the day it is up to you to judge whether you consider it necessary to have a guarantor. (It’s worth remembering that very often con-artists come over as the most charming people you could wish to meet!)
A: The government has announced that it intends to end ‘no fault’ (Section 21) Notices.
Communities Secretary Rt. Hon. James Brokenshire has announced that ” Private landlords will no longer be able to evict tenants from their homes at short notice and without good reason, in the biggest change to the private rental sector for a generation.”
Although this is good for headline writers, I don’t foresee this causing problems for many landlords. ‘No fault’ evictions have already ended in Scotland and allowances have been made for landlords who want to regain possession for themselves or family members. The government is saying that this will be looked at, alongside changes in the court system, to allow for eviction cases to be dealt with more quickly.
It should be noted that at present the government is only going to consultation on the reform of the ‘no fault’ (Section 21) Notice.
Hope that is a help. Please don’t hesitate to give me a call if I can be of further help.
Under the Tenant Fees Act 2019 which came into force on 1st June the total maximum deposit is equivalent to five weeks rent. This is a bit of a shame because most landlords are just going to say no pets and it will be the tenants who suffer. Not I’m sure this was the idea behind the legislation. What it is possible to do is to charge a higher monthly rent if there is a pet involved. What we are doing is suggesting to landlords that they add an additional £20 per month to the rent. Just remember, if you are planning to do this, disclose it when you first advertise the property as it could be considered to be a relevant fact.
Hope that’s a help. Please don’t hesitate to give me a call if I can be of further help.