Author: ARQ HOMES

If you are a tenant and renting from a private landlord or estate agent, you may be able to claim rent back from them if they fail to provide suitable accommodation. This is under plans being considered in Westminster.

Renters could soon be able to sue their landlords for refunds on rent if their property is not maintained properly. The government is considering legislation that would enable tenants to get a refund in rent if their homes aren’t repaired in a timely manner.

Michael Gove is again housing secretary, after he was reinstated by new PM Rishi Sunak. But he is viewed as having a tougher and more uncompromising approach to making changes to housing.

Environment Secretary Michael Gove has revealed that the government is looking at ways to improve conditions for renters, in an interview with the BBC.

Gove said: “We have new legislation to make sure that central landlords live up to their responsibilities. tougher regulation, a stronger voice for tenants, bigger penalties for social landlords who are keeping people in homes for social rent which are not fit for habitation.”

“And we’re also bringing in legislation to deal with the private rented sector as well.”

He also said the government would offer “targeted support”, without clarifying what that would mean.

The Renters’ Reform Bill, which would introduce a limit on rent increases and an end to No-fault evictions, is one step closer to becoming legislation.

Landlords have bitterly criticised the scheme in the past, saying it makes it harder for investors to turf out bad tenants.

However, research has found that landlords are using Section 21 evictions to evict tenants for valid complaints about poor quality housing.

Source: https://propertyinvestorpost.com/

PREPARING YOUR PROPERTY FOR NEW SMOKE AND CARBON MONOXIDE ALARM REGULATIONS

With changes to the rules around carbon monoxide and smoke alarms in England and Wales on the horizon, coming into effect on 01 October 2022 in England and 01 December 2022 in Wales; here’s what you need to know:

1) Install smoke alarms on each story of the property

Landlords in England are already required to install a smoke alarm on each story of their rental property. The new rules on 01 December will therefore impose this new requirement on landlords in Wales too.

2) Test your smoke alarms

From 01 October onward in England, the landlord will be responsible for repairing any smoke alarms that are faulty. So, the first step is to check whether there’s an issue with the alarms that are currently installed in the property. A check should be done every time you do an inventory and on the move in day by pressing the button on the alarm to see if it works.

3) Check the alarm’s expiry date

Smoke alarms have an expiry date. Agents and landlords need to make sure that they’re making a note of that date on their inventories. Going past that used by date, by definition, that alarm is not serviceable. This can have a knock-on effect for your landlords’ building insurance too.

4) Look into cost-effective solutions

In England the government has not made it compulsory to have all these alarms interlinked or the need to be hardwired into the system. So, landlords are still able to install battery-powered smoke alarms; unless the government were to change the draft regulation before it comes into play. In Wales however from 01 December every smoke alarm has got to be hard wired into the property.

5) Remember that the carbon monoxide rules don’t apply to gas cookers

The 2015 rule where you needed a carbon monoxide alarm if you were burning solid fuel, is now being extended to if you are burning anything you need a carbon monoxide alarm. However, gas cookers don’t fall under these new regulations and therefore no carbon monoxide alarm is required in a room with a gas cooker. Gas boilers are dealt with under separate legislation, so if you have a kitchen with a gas boiler, you’ll need a carbon monoxide alarm. If you have got a kitchen with no boiler at all but a gas cooker – although you’ve got combustion in the kitchen – you don’t need a carbon monoxide alarm because gas cookers are under a different legislation.

6) Understand who’s responsible for changing the batteries

Currently the 2015 guidance notes for smoke and carbon monoxide alarms, states that you can impose on the tenant the obligation to maintain and change the batteries. Unless the government were to change the draft regulation before it comes into play. It would seem, that only when the alarm is faulty, the landlord needs to be involved with changing it.

7) Make sure the alarms are accessible

There are certain rules around the space that you’ll need to leave between the boiler and carbon monoxide alarm but, aside from that restriction, you can install the alarms anywhere in the room within reason. The tenant must have the ability to access and be able to change the batteries.

Source: https://www.gov.uk/

WHAT COULD THE STATUTORY DEBT REPAYMENT PLAN MEAN FOR YOU AS A LANDLORDS AND YOUR TENANTS?

The government wants to introduce a Statutory Debt Repayment Plan (SDRP). There are two consultations in the course of this. The first has closed, and the second closes on 05 August 2022. The SDRP will include a broad range of debts, including debts owed to the UK Government and to creditors outside of financial services. It will also protect debtors from enforcement action, creditor contact, interest, fees, and charges on their debts while they repay them.

What is a “breathing space” under the Debt Respite Scheme?

A breathing space gives people in debt the right to legal protections from their creditors. This means that landlords can’t serve a section 8 notice or start court action against a tenant if they successfully receive a breathing space.

What problem does the Statutory Debt Repayment Plan aim to solve?

The Debt Respite Scheme guidance shares that a breathing space isn’t a payment holiday. The breathing space or mental health space doesn’t mean that a tenant shouldn’t continue to pay what they owe, it simply gives them more time to look into their finances and find a solution to their debt problems.

What is the proposed Statutory Debt Repayment Plan?

The government is currently consulting on the draft regulations for its “Statutory Debt Repayment Plan”, which will focus on “repayment of debt, rather than debt relief,” according to the proposal. This means that an individual’s debts can be combined in a single plan, and “repaid over a manageable time period,” with similar legal protections from creditor action as in breathing space.”

Will tenants be able to access this plan?

It is important to note that rent arrears will be excluded from the repayment plan. The reason for this is that if the tenant does not include their rent arrears in their repayment plan, it may affect their ability to renew the tenancy. This can be avoided by including the rent arrears in the repayment plan, even though they would be prioritised at 30% of each month’s repayments under this scheme.

How can your agency prepare for the impact of the cost of living crisis on the Debt Respite Scheme?

The first part of the Debt Respite Scheme was introduced during the pandemic, although it was planned long before Covid-19 hit. However, Bolwell says that the cost of living crisis may push yet more tenants to require access to this breathing space – and therefore to require a long-term strategy for repaying their debts.

Will landlords have the right to object?

Where arrears of housing costs are included in a plan, the creditor must be given notice of the proposals and will have 14 days to object on specified grounds, including that it is based on inaccurate information or that it prejudices the interests of the creditor. Plans will be reviewed every 12 months or at other times if there is a significant change in circumstances, when a payment break may also be available.

Source: https://www.propertymark.co.uk

Time to swap the sounds of the city for some salty sea air. These are the absolute best beaches near London. From the vast unbroken expanse of Camber Sands to the eerie other-worldly beauty of Dungeness, we’ve rounded up the 15 best beaches within two hours of the capital. So, pack your swimming cozzie, grab your bucket and spade, and head to one of these gorgeous beaches near London. It might be England, but it can still get scorching out there!

1) Tankerton Beach and The Street, Whitstable, Kent

Whitstable is a charming town with a distinct character and colourful harbour. Overlooking the old town is The Street – a stretch of shingle that pokes out from Whitstable’s pretty Tankerton beach at low tide, offering lovely views back to the groyne-dotted beach, and beyond it the colourful clapboard houses and beach huts of nearby Whitstable.

2) East Beach, Littlehampton, West Sussex

Littlehampton has retained its ramshackle, seaside charm. Its gorgeous sand beach is great for swimming, with driftwood sculptures forming the stunning East Beach Café—a great place for brunch or ice cream.

3) Minnis Bay, Birchington, Kent

For a family-friendly day out, hop in the car and head for North Foreland Beach on the north Kent coast. This long sandy beach has an outdoor play area for children, free car parking, a paddling pool perfect for discovering crustaceans and other marine life, windsurfing and kite boarding – plus a restaurant with a bar and great sea views should keep the grown-ups happy too.

4) Leigh-on-Sea, Essex

Leigh-on-Sea is the perfect place for those who like their beaches to be flanked by cobbled streets, boats swaying in the breeze and traces of a place’s historic fishing past such as olde worlde cockle sheds. While the beach is small it is also sandy and you are in close proximity to some fine seafood eateries. Try Osborne’s cafe and Seafood Hall, which won the 2021 British Food Awards in the Fish & Seafood category for its cooked cockles.

5) Holywell Retreat, Eastbourne, East Sussex

Close to Eastbourne’s busy centre, but on the edge of town, Holywell Retreat is a quiet and relaxed beach. Between Boxgrove and Ebsfleet, a narrow road leads down to an unpretentious park that is home to some pretty blue and white beach chalets. Behind them are the white cliffs of Beachy Head and behind those the South Downs coastal path. A short walk along the seafront brings you to Rick Mathers’s elegant Towner Gallery of Contemporary Art

6) Botany Bay, near Broadstairs, Kent

The English seaside resort of Margate is as understated as it is hidden, with no funfairs or slot machines, just a Blue Flag-awarded 600ft-long strip of sand and a kiosk in a pretty little cove that’s one of seven along this part of the Kent coast.

7) Mersea Island, Essex

The south-east of England is a great place for a weekend getaway, as it’s home to some of the country’s most beautiful beaches. There aren’t many beaches near London that involve a tide schedule, but Britain’s most easterly inhabited island does, being an estuary island reach via the Strood (an ancient Roman causeway linking it with the mainland). Foodies beat a path to West Mersea’s various oyster bars, while fossil hunters and nature-lovers make for East Mersea’s quiet beaches backed by cliffs that have revealed shark’s teeth and animal bones dating back 300,000 years. Wine aficionados can pick up a local souvenir at the Mersea Island Vineyard and Brewery.

8) Fairlight Glen, East Sussex

Fairlight Glen is, unlike other nearby beaches, not a sandy shore but all rocks and pebbles. Being shingle, it’s also rather steep so some will find it difficult to access. But for those who are naturists or naturist-friendly, it’s one of Britain’s best-kept secrets as a wild, secluded spot with excellent views out over the sea.

9) Pegwell Bay, Ramsgate, Kent

When you hop off the train at Ramsgate, it may be difficult to decide whether to stay put and get acquainted with the popular sandy beach, or head slightly off the beaten track to Pegwell Bay. Not only is it a wildfowl-heavy nature reserve and rich in local history, but archaeologists have discovered traces of Roman landings and Viking longships.

10) Cuckmere Haven, Seaford, Sussex

Cuckmere Haven isn’t huge, but you can get a good mix of the sea and beach life here. The famous Seven Sisters white chalk cliffs to the east of the pebbled beach are striking, attracting countless artists over the years. It’s a quiet spot that’s also popular as a film location with scenes from Harry Potter and Robin Hood shot here. Dogs are also allowed and it’s a good spot for angling if you want an excuse to sit quietly gazing out to sea for hours.

11) Walton-on-the-Naze, Essex

The stunning location of Walton-on-the-Naze is a great place to explore! Discover wildlife on the wide stretch of sandy beach, hunt for turtle and bird fossils, catch stunning views over the Essex coast by climbing the 86ft shipping tower-turned art gallery – there’s so much to see and do here.

12) Shoreham-by-Sea, West Sussex

Windsurfers, kitesurfers and beach goers welcome! Shoreham has a laidback shingly beach that is dog-friendly, and has a children’s play area too. Explore the scenic River Adur Coastal Link & Sculpture Trail, or sit back with your deckchair and enjoy a bit of culture at one of the many galleries in Shoreham-by-Sea.

13) Dungeness, Kent

In the early-1970s, filmmaker Derek Jarman’s isolated home and garden became a sanctuary for artists and filmmakers, including David Hockney, Francis Bacon and Twiggy. Nowadays it is popular with birdwatchers who can view various creatures on the nearby shingle beaches. The house itself is a quirky sight as it has been constructed from old railway carriages and other found objects – designed by the late artist himself in true punk style!

14) West Wittering, West Sussex

This beach has all kinds of activities on offer. You can sunbathe, swim, go rock-pooling or just explore the salt marshes on the western end of the beach. Here you’ll find East Head which marks the entrance to Chichester Harbour and there are lots of great walks available right off this beach as well.

15) Camber Sands, East Sussex

Camber Sands is the most Arabian-looking beach destination on England’s south coast. Four miles of sand dunes and beach make it a perfect place to camp, cycle and trek across the many miles of undeveloped land. A number of ‘desert’ films were shot here including Carry On Follow that Camel’, so you can experience its amazing beauty for yourself!

16) Southend-on-Sea, Essex

Southend-on-Sea is home to the world’s longest iron pleasure pier. At 2.158km, it is just over a mile long! Southend pier has been rebuilt many times after being the victim of fires and a boat crashing through it. It was originally a wooden structure built-in 1830. The pier was taken over by the royal navy during World War Two to act as a departure point. There is a railway which runs the full length of the pier and operates every single day the pier is open. Prior to this, visitors were escorted by a horse tramway!

17) Clacton-on-Sea, Essex

Clacton may be a quintessentially English seaside town, but today it’s also a city of plenty. Whether you want to enjoy a jazz concert in the evening, or listen to the sea-shanty singers on the pier, there’s something for everyone here. And there are plenty of opportunities to enjoy the best of British summertime: you can walk along an award-winning promenade while soaking up spectacular views of the sea and its famous chalk stacks, or explore Clacton Pier’s one million lights at Christmas time.

18) Brighton, Sussex

Brighton is famous for its historic attractions, but there’s more to this coastal town than meets the eye. Brighton is also a vibrant cultural capital with a passion for creativity and sustainability.

19) Hastings, Sussex

The Battle of Hastings probably still hurts for anyone who was forced to study history in the UK. But there’s more to Hastings than that. In fact, its connection to England’s last Anglo-Saxon King is just a footnote compared to its significance as a seaside resort.