Property Matters. The Oak Tree Centre. Lightmoor Village, Telford. Come and have your questions answered

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1 IMPORTANT TELEPHONE NUMBERS Housing Benefits (Landlords) Benefits & Council Tax Environmental Health (including noisy neighbours) Domestic violence helpline Environmental Maintenance (refuse, pest control, abandoned vehicles etc) Environmental Maintenance (Roads, signs, lighting, footpaths etc) For Electricity suppliers For Gas suppliers Planning Enquiries Private Landlords/Tenants Kathy Hawley Police or (Emergency ) 999 Crimestoppers Transco (if you smell Gas) Princess Royal Hospital or (Shropdoc in Emergencies) Please advise us of any other important numbers you would like listed above. All information and advice in this newsletter is given in good faith. Wrekin Landlords Association accept no liability for actions or damages arising from its content. Future Meetings on October 6 th, January 12 th April 12 th July12 th will be at The Oak Tree Centre, Lightmoor, Next years Annual Dinner May 13th 2016 Representatives of The Wrekin Landlords Association can be contacted on : TENANT REFERENCING CHECK (Paul Spiers) The Chairman, Mr. Bernie Lewis Chairman@wrekinlandlords.com Treasurer, Mr. Paul Spiers or write to WREKIN LANDLORDS ASSOCIATION, The Cornerhouse, 57, High Street, Madeley TF7 5AT Autumn 2015 Property Matters The Official Newsletter of the Wrekin Landlords Association Next Meeting Tuesday October 6th 7.00 p.m. The Autumn Conference (see page 13) The Oak Tree Centre. Lightmoor Village, Telford. Come and have your questions answered IN THIS ISSUE... WENDY WHITTAKER-LARGE SECTION 21 UPDATE TAX ISSUES UNIVERSAL CREDIT SMOKE ALARMS 20 Website:- My life in Property Needs your stories. NOW!

2 CONTENTS FRONT COVER CONFERENCE 6TH OCT LHA Rates for Wendy Whittaker-Large 4/5 Section 21 again 6 Did you know? Council tax & Tax relief Members say and Recommendations 8 10 Laugh it off 11 Landlords Conference 13 Future meetings 15 Alarm law changes 16 Universal Credit 17 Properties abroad. 18 Classified Ads 19 Contacts 20 Chairman's letter. Dear Members Well it s been a turbulent time over the Summer hasn t it and I m not just talking about the weather? Political events have thrown up a number of issues and fears for the future of our business, the introduction of Universal Credit has quietly crept in to the area on a very limited basis but is still the thin end of a very big wedge that is liable to divide our sector for some time to come. Our July meeting went very well and many people took advantage of the FREE smoke alarm offer, Certainly some were well impressed with the new deals offered by the new representative from Alan Boswell.and even the young Lady from Severn Trent made an impression, I know I have registered most of my properties with their service, once it s done the first time I m sure it will save a lot of work and confusion in the future. Looking forward to the Conference on October 6th we are aiming to cover the topics that have had the most questions about, like the changes in the laws on tax allowances on Buy to let mortgage interest and so on. Our sub-committee has been busy lobbying the Council about the lack of Council tax relief on empty properties. We saw a number of you have signed up for the Council Accreditation scheme and we would appreciate your feedback on that topic. Has it helped you, what was the biggest advantage, did you find any drawbacks etc.? See you all at Conference. Kind regards Bernie Lewis ACCOUNTANTS Telford, Harvey & Bates ARCHITECT Nick Hatton BUILDING Steve Holford Rob or TN Builders SMJ Carpentry CARPET SUPPLY & FITTING AST (Dawley) Mark Atwell fitting CARPET CLEANING Shropshire Carpet cleaners Butlers Dry clean carpets CLEANING Make It Sparkle Vortex Cleaning Shire Cleaning Services CONDENSATION Enviro Vent DECKING Chetton Timber or DECORATING Williams Friendly Services DOUBLE GLAZING Safeway or ELECTRICIANS Simon Bird or PB Electrics or APS Electrical (Simon) ENERGY PERFORMANCE CERTS. Hugh Sopwith Tim Gough Phil Bowen FENCING D W fencing or GAS SERVICE Gastec, Dave Emberton M.C. Services Kieth Salter eplan Energy CLASSIFIED ADS INSURANCE Alan Boswell Brokers INVENTORIES Integris Proerty Solutions JOINERY MANUFACTURERS Christian Roussel KITCHENS Kitchen facelift Co.(Martin) LAWN CARE Mal MAINTENANCE David Smith Flat Roofs (D. Hems) Jag of all trades (mobile) Bailey s or Keith Williams David Tye PEST CONTROL David Watkins PLASTERING GS Plastering PLUMBERS David Battye Brian Tarr (reliable) PLUMBING SUPPLIES PH Boiler Spares M.R Bathrooms & Fires PROPERTY Abroad Steve and Helen Ruth & Stephen Barry & Linda PROPERTY MANAGEMENT Wrekin Property Management REMOVALS Recyclex or Man with a Van SEWAGE & DRAINS Mayglothing Waste STORAGE Bailey s or SURVEYOR Terry Nutt For Newsletter info or btinternet.com If you have any recommended tradesmen please let 19

3 Italian Farmhouse Home in Le Marche, Italy. It can be viewed with loads of photos on ref: This newly renovated, detached, stone farmhouse, with its own gardens with patios and covered terrace, its own pizza oven, in the magic triangle of Le Marche. Just a short walk into Gualdo, with its weekly market, shops, bars and restaurant. This area is famous for its rolling green hills and valleys with beautiful stone houses, hill top towns, fabulous food and restaurants. Between sea (45 mins) and mountains with fresh water lake( 30 mins) there is something for everyone. Swimming pools are available locally nearest is open air public pool 4 miles away in a wooded park. Ryanair do good value flights from Stansted to Ancona airport about 75 mins away Why not try mixing a visit to Rome, Bologna, Pisa or Venice before or after your stay? Special discount for fellow landlords (10% reduction off the online price) if you call us direct Steve and Helen Williams on: HOLIDAY APARTMENT, LOS ALCAZARES, COSTA CALIDA, SPAIN 2 Bedroom apartment on small complex with communal swimming pool. Walking distance to shops, restaurants and beach. Cheap flights to Murcia airport (10 mins from apartment) flying from Birmingham & East Midlands, Ryanair, BMI Baby, Jet2, Airport pickup available. For more info, pictures, and availability go to Ref: number or contact Barry & Linda Smith or barry.linda@blueyonder.co.uk Prices from 195 per week. LHA RATES (Telford & Wrekin Area) 1st April 2015 Category Max. Weekly Max. Monthly Shared Accommodation Bedroom Bedrooms Bedrooms Bedrooms The above are the maximum Local Housing Allowance rates used for calculating Local Housing Allowance. The number of bedrooms is based on the tenant s family make-up and age and not on the number of actual bedrooms in a property. For more information please visit the LHA pages at: benefits or Telford and Wrekin Council s Customer Services on TURKEY Euro exchange rate tough on your pocket? Try Turkey! Need a quiet break away from it all? Then try our new 3 bedroomed ground floor, easy access, air conditioned apartment, just 40 minutes from Bodrum, Turkey. Situated on the outskirts of an unspoilt fishing village, only 100 metres from the beautiful turquoise Aegean Sea. With wonderful sunsets over the bay, it is ideal for families or friends just wanting to get away for a relaxing break. With two bathrooms, three double beds and a sofa bed, it can sleep 6-8 comfortably. The well equipped kitchen and lounge complete the package for culture fans or Sun lovers. A first class Golf Club Vita Park is just 15 minutes away. FLIGHTS: Birmingham, Manchester, East Midlands to Bodrum Airport 20 minutes away. Prices from 200 per week. Booking Spring, Summer and Autumn 2013 breaks NOW! This apartment is owned by WLA members Ruth & Stephen Evans. Why not contact them on: or mobile or E mail on struth8@hotmail.co.uk 18 A man convinced against his will is of the same opinion still. Or click the link on your website 3

4 WENDY WHITTAKER-LARGE. Wendy Whittaker-Large's tag-line 'Just like a hotel, only it's home'. We are very lucky to have one of the most popular speakers, on the circuit today, attending our Autumn Conference, don t miss the opportunity to come along and learn from this great presenter. Wendy is the founder of multiple companies including Best Nest a high end HMO company and Best Nest Egg an HMO investment club. She is passionate about HMOs for their contribution to the housing economy and the positive contribution they can make to people s lives. As well as steadily building her own multi-million pound portfolio over the last 18 years, she s been raising her family and building an award winning training business. She now helps other women to achieve financial freedom whilst juggling domestic and family commitments, through her programme: Woman s 5 Step System to Financial Freedom through Property the proven system that enables women to achieve their dreams of more time, more money and greater quality of life. She works with a whole range of women - from those with young families and full-time jobs to older women looking to secure their financial future for retirement - and she supports, trains and mentors them to success. Wendy is an award-winning early years trainer and teacher. Having worked in the field of early years for nearly 20 years, she now spends her time supporting adults to learn and in particular to achieve financial freedom. She is an innovative business developer and entrepreneur having established two highly successful early years training companies working with settings, schools and local authorities across the Midlands and North West UK. She won 'Trainer of the Year' at the Nursery World Awards 2010 and also won the Staffordshire STAR Award in Specialities: HMO design, development and delivery. Property develop- Universal Credit How will Universal Credit affect private sector landlords? There will be improved protection for Landlords and tenants against arrears under Universal Credit. Many landlords in the Private rented sector receive their housing cost payments directly from their local authority. Universal Credit will be a single, monthly payment (including eligible housing costs) paid direct to claimants, therefore Landlords will need to look how and when they collect their rent and the level of support some tenants will need to make transition to a single, direct monthly payment.. Landlords can get ready for Universal Credit by familiarising themselves with the changes and looking at how they might to adapt their policies and processes, engaging with their tenants early, to start assessing their needs and ensure they understand their responsibilities and support available. Most private sector landlords will not see any change with the introduction of Universal Credit, because most working age claimants in this sector are already used to receiving their Housing Benefit/Local Housing Allowance payments directly and are responsible for paying their rent to their landlords. We encourage those private sector landlords who currently receive a managed payment from the local authority to familiarise themselves with the changes and look at how they can prepare themselves. Claimants will be expected, where possible, to arrange their own rent payments as they would if they were in full time employment. Landlords need to think about how this will fit with their own payment calendars. If they have previous been paid direct from the local authority they will need to speak to their tenants to agree arrangements for collecting rent from them. In a minority of cases, if the tenants arrears reach the equivalent of one months rent, the DWP will review the situation following notification from the landlord and it is possible that Alternative Payment Arrangements can be put in place or offer the claimants budgeting support or pay direct to the Landlord. Should the tenant reach two months in arrears, the landlord should, at this point request Alternative Payment arrangements or an appropriate course of action. The above has been taken from the guideline issued by the DWP. 4 17

5 Mandatory Smoke/Carbon Monoxide alarms We are pleased to see that so many of you took up the offer of the FREE smoke alarm offer from the last meeting in time for the October 1st deadline. There is no doubt that working smoke alarms save lives in the event of a fire in your home you are at least four times more likely to die if there are no working smoke alarms. The Smoke and Carbon Monoxide Alarm (Eng) Regulations 2015 were laid out in draft form in March 2015 and to this date are still awaiting Parliamentary approval. It looks unlikely that they will be approved before the anticipated date of October 1st. When they are finally approved, Private sector Landlords will be required to have at least one smoke alarm installed on every level of their properties and a carbon monoxide alarm installed in any room containing a solid fuel burning appliance,. like a coal fire or a wood burner. Once installed the Landlord or their agents must make sure that the alarms are in working order at the start of each new tenancy, it might be a good practice to get the tenant to sign to agree this fact included in the state of the property report or whatever you use. The requirements will be enforced by local authorities who can impose penalties up to where a Landlord fails to comply with a remedial notice. After the initial test at the start of the tenancy the Tenant should take responsibility for their own safety and test all alarms at regular intervals to ensure that they are working, monthly is suggested. Certainly it is not a bad idea to have your gas engineer check the alarms when they do their annual boiler check and service. You may have heat alarms in your kitchen but you will still need to comply with the mandatory smoke alarm on each level. The legislation does not insist on Carbon Monoxide alarms being fitted for gas appliances, however, as a responsible Landlord we would expect that you would take the road of Better be safe, than sorry and fit one anyway. The hold up of the approval seems to be a group of cross bench peers objecting on various grounds like lack of grace period for landlords to comply after the 1st of October, the regulations dot cover social housing and owner occupiers and some feel that CO alarms should be installed in ALL Private Rented Sector properties. They are critical of the wording and lack of clarity. We ll let you know when they finally decide. 16 ment and lettings. Sourcing deals for investors. Writing training materials and facilitating unique, interactive and engaging training. For instance:- Whilst investing in HMOs, Wendy quickly realised that her approach of targeting the higher end of the market was working, and she wanted to expand. She found a 3 bedroom property with large reception rooms and a workshop at the back that was ideal for conversion. The property was bought for 93,000 and they set about turning it into a 6 bed HMO. The builder went into the loft one day and realised how large it was ideal for conversion into another bedroom. As soon as he said this, Wendy researched the figures and proceeded with the extra bedroom. The result was a 7 bedroom HMO that took 6 months to complete. They spent 47,000 on the build and a further 8,000 furnishing it, making a total spend of 150k including the cost of financing. It has been fully tenanted since the day it was finished. It generates 32,000 per year income and the expenses are 14,000, giving Wendy a very healthy return and a template for future projects. Local Based Company Providing recycling and waste disposal. Also sameday delivery and collection anywhere in the U.K. For Landlords, we specialise in House or Garden clearance, waste removal, all responsibly certified disposal, guaranteed no Fly tipping. For House removal we offer Man and a Van. Free quotes given. Call today to discuss your project on: / sameday@recyclex.co.uk sales@recyclex.co.uk Website: Fully licensed, anywhere in the U.K. 24/7 5

6 Section 21: New rulings: *STOP PRESS* The Government have finally tabled their long awaited new regulations stipulating the documents a landlord must provide a tenant starting a new tenancy on or after 1 October. The regulations, which have been tabled, only three weeks before they are due to come into force, introduce a new prescribed form for Section 21 Notices. and new obligations on landlords which if not complied with, would form a defence for the tenant against a Section 21 notice. Under these regulations Landlords will have to provide tenants at the start of a tenancy with An energy performance certificate A Gas Safety Certificate A copy of the Government s How to Rent Guide. These only apply to new tenancies starting on or after 1 October However there will be a review to inform the Secretary of State whether to make them apply to all existing tenancies from 1 October The Government have said that they only plan to issue guidance on these regulations on the day they come into force 1 October Under the above circumstance we will make ourselves aware of what the final decision is and publish it on our website. Please keep us informed of your experiences with the Section 21 process and any anomalies you might come across. It was mooted that the changes would make it easier for landlords to issue Section 21 notices, but I fail to see how any of the above will make our lives easier. Future Meetings Please note: The next meeting is The Autmn Conference 7.00 till 10 p.m at : The Oak Tree Centre, Lightmoor Village, TELFORD TF4 3EG See directions below M.R. Bathrooms & Fires Cuckoo Oak Green, Madeley, TELFORD, TF7 4HT FULL Range of plumbing & heating products, Boilers, radiators etc. Copper tube, fittings (inc TDC plastic adaptors) tools, bathroom suites, showers, surrounds, taps, wastes etc. We also have a range of fires and fire surrounds available in our showroom. Tel: We look forward to seeing you there at 7.00 p.m. 15

7 SIMON BIRD ELECTRICAL SIMON BIRD ELECTRICAL SIMON BIRD ELECTRICAL SIMON BIRD ELECTRICAL 24 HOUR EMERGENCY CALL OUT SERVICE Simon Bird Telford s Live Wire Domestic * Commercial Industrial Electrical Installations and Maintenance Part P building Regulations Approved Periodic Inspections and Testing Portable Appliance testing telfordlivewire@hotmail.co.uk Proud to work with Wrekin Landlords Telford Fax mobile Make it Sparkle Cleaning Services Covering Shropshire and Staffordshire. End of tenancy deep cleans and/or clearance. Spring cleans, weekly/fortnightly cleans Carpet cleaning, builders clean up. Oven cleaning Interior painting and decorating and basic DIY Fully insured and CRB checked Phone Sharon Kelly A competitive company built on honesty and reliability sharon.heath1@yahoo.co.uk 14 Telford Energy Savers:

8 Did you know? Council Tax We allocated a sub-committee to address the thorny problem of paying Council Tax on empty properties since the change to class A and C exemptions took place in April We issued guidelines on this issue earlier this year but we are ultimately looking to have some sort of period of grace on empty properties to cover a short period whilst one tenant moves out and another moves, giving the landlord an opportunity to upgrade the property without penalty. Our Sub-Committee headed by Michael and Emma Gledhill have had numerous meetings with Councillors to put the case forward and have also submitted a petition in writing. They will be looking to raise greater support and awareness of this situation, which will inevitably affect all of you at some time or other. Telford and Wrekin are one of the only two councils out of 14 other local authorities that have no allowance for empty properties. We need to make a strong case and it must be on behalf of all local property owners, not just our members. We need your support, come along to the Conference (see page 13) and sign up. Budget Tax relief cuts. The rental property industry has rounded on George Osborne for cutting tax relief on private rented properties. It is claimed that the budget was very much biased toward home ownership over buy-to-let Landlords. The chancellor slashed the mortgage relief that Landlords can claim on their mortgage interest payments, cutting it from 40 or 45 percent for some Landlords to 20% to be rolled out by April The industry is saying that not only will this affect Landlords but house builders (who rely on a certain percentage of BTL landlords purchases) and Tenants also. If a Landlord cannot sustain a viable, profitable business then they will certainly exit the industry. If there is an influx of such sales affect the property prices. It does not follow that if a rented house is sold to an owner occupier it will solve the problem as no one is taking account of the departing tenants housing needs. Come to our conference to continue the discussion. Harvey, Telford & Bates & Co Chartered Accountants Numerous rental and property investor clients. TEL: , Park Plaza, Battlefield Enterprise Park, SHREWSBURY, SY1 3AF E Mail: atelford@htbaccountants.co.uk See website LANDLORDS CONFERENCE FREE TUESDAY OCTOBER 6TH 7.00 till p.m. At the Oak Tree Centre, Lightmoor. see page 15 for directions All are welcome. Non members can join on the night and get three months free. Conference this year is a result of the feedback we have received from our survey and we hope to bring you much of the information you asked for. Our Treasurer Paul Spiers Will bring you a special presentation on the implications of the limitations of tax relief Buy-to-Let Mortgage interest as advised in the 2015 budget. Lee Higgins (Head of Housing Benefits, Telford) Lee has always been one of our most popular speakers at previous conferences and always has information that is relevant to most of our members this time he will upate you on the ongoing situation of current Housing Benefit and the wider implications of taking on Benefit Tenants in the future. Michael and Emma Gledhill (Local Landlords) Will update you on the work they have been doing over the past twelve months with the Telford and Wrekin Council to try to get the Empty Property Council tax Exemptions reinstated.( See Page 8) Department of Works and Pensions We are, at the time of going to press, awaiting confirmation of the attendance of the DWP to advise us on Universal Credit. WENDY WHITTAKER-LARGE. We are very fortunate to have one of the most popular speakers on the circuit attending our conference. I am sure you will all be inspired by this woman of many talents, including the building of a multi-million pound rental property portfolio whilst being a full time Mum and teaching as well. See the article on page 4 and 5. 8 TENANT REFERENCING CHECK (Paul Spiers) We look forward to seeing you there at 7.00 p.m. 13

9 WREKIN LANDLORD SERVICES LTD PH Boiler spares Ltd is an independent sales counter situated on Stafford Park 15. Open to both the trade and the public alike it is owned and managed by Ian Cull a qualified Gas service engineer. PH Boiler Spares Ltd pride themselves on the personal service they provide and technical knowledge of Plumbing and heating. They stock an impressive library of boiler spares and a diverse selection of plumbing YOUR PROPERTY IN SAFE HANDS Paul Spiers B.A. (Hons), ACMA, CGMA, LL.Dip (Laws). Supplies. Call in today and see, Where those in the know Go! Worester PCB A-Rated Circulating Pump 58 High Street, Madeley Telford, TF7 5AT paul@wrekinlandlordservices.co.uk wrekinlandlordservices.com In association with Happy House Lettings Ltd. Need an EPC? Speedy delivery of your EPC...Professional and personal service Liaise with agent/tenant, if required...wla trusted supplier since 2008 Contact: Hugh Sopwith Tel: or Mob: hughsopwith@gmail.com It s that simple! Parts centre Price PH Boiler spares Alpha Divertor valve Parts centre Price PH Boiler spares Unit C2,Stafford Park 15 Telford,TF3 3BB Tel: Fax: sales@phboilerspares.com Heating controls 22mm Mid position valve. Code: MIDPOS007 Only Meter head pump. Code: PUM015 Only Toilet components Only Opella Syphon Code: CIST024 All prices inc VAT and are valid till 1/1/2015 Comparison prices are taken from Parts Centre web site 27/09/ TENANT REFERENCING CHECK (Paul Spiers) 9

10 Members Say Dear Bernie, I am certainly looking forward to the Autumn conference, I must say it is great that we have the WLA as it provides us with an opportunity to consult and collaborate in circumstances such as these - keep up the good work. Kind regards John Elcock. Dear Bernie Just heard that we have Wendy Whittaker-Large at the Conference, well done. I have seen her before and she is a very impressive lady and a good presenter, I am looking forward to the Conference, as I thoroughly enjoyed the last three. I an still amazed at how you mange to do this year after year, my membership really is the best value I have ever had. Thank you David. Hi John and David So glad to hear you will be joining us again and to that all our committees efforts are being appreciated, thank you for you feedback. Regards Bernie. RECOMMENDATIONS Recommendations for Barraet tgarage Doors (See advert Page 7) I was very impressed with Steve Barret, not only did he quote me for a repair over the phone, he met me on site at the pre-arranged time, carried out the work with a minimum of fuss and stuck to his quote. A very pleasantly young man doing a good job at a good price, nice doing business with you. Regards Bernie D. Smith Building:- (See advert Page 11) I always find Dave a good man to deal with, his quotes are fair, his manner pleasant and there is no exaggeration with him. There doesn t seem to be much that phases him and he will take on most things, which is what us busy Landlords need. Many thanks Julia. Simon Bird Electrical (See advert Page 14) I used Simon to do a number of little jobs in some of my rented properties. I was impressed with his speed, price and competence, He was very helpful and thoughtful to the tenants needs and comfort it makes a change in this day and age, Well done, Kevin Alan Boswell Insurance (See advert Page 3) They say you never appreciate your insurance until you have to make a claim. Upon your advice I changed to Alan Boswell Insurance late last year and recently had to make a claim for water through the kitchen ceiling, the whole process was made simple and painless form and the tenant, we were able to have the work completed in record time with very little bother. Nice change Annabelle. 10 LAUGH IT OFF Bin there, done that. I went on a training course to be a bin man, well I say a training course, I basically picked it up as I went along.. Floored Logic: Teacher asked Rebecca Why are you doing your math multiplication on the floor? Rebecca replied You told me to do it without using tables. Birds eye view. Why do birds suddenly appear, every time you are near? Because they re Sea Gulls and I m holding an ice cream? No ewe turn. For Sale FULL FLOCK OF SHEEP: NEVER BRED. Also 1 gay RAM.. Sweet. I asked farmers wife Am I right in assuming you make Honey? She replied Not me personally but I do keep some Bees that do. Do you remember? When toilet paper was see-through and the kids used to use as tracing paper? Or remember when? Brown bread was something that only poor people ate. D SMITH BUILDing Ltd Member of the Telford and Wrekin traders register. * Renovations ( all aspects undertaken personally ) * Fencing. * Damp proofing * Driveways. * Ponds and landscaping.. No job too small or big. Competitive rates. Checkout my website for testimonial dsmithbuildinglimited.co.uk Or: Ring now for an inspection and competitive quote