Can you afford your property to be closed?
USING HHSRS AWARE INVENTORY CLERKS
In the current financial climate, cost-conscious councils are waking up to the fact that home improvement grants and loans are a thing of the past. However councils can still insist on landlords providing a decent and safe standard of accommodation by enforcing their legal powers through HHSRS, in doing so it gives councils an opportunity to boost their own income through the charges they make.
Under the Housing Act 2004, councils can serve notices to force landlords or their managing agents to improve their rental properties. They will focus on health and safety, energy efficiency and more.
THE IMPACT
Once a notice is served:
- Tenants may demand their deposit back
- The council can force improvements, closure or even demolition
- The council can charge up to £300 PER NOTICE
- Tenants can claim damages - even if they left the property in poor condition
- The landlord must repair, but if he/she fails to do so within the specified time, the council may do the work and charge an administration fee, as well as the cost of the work and the notice charge.
LANDLORDS AND LETTING AGENT RESPONSIBILITIES
Provide tenants with decent and safe homes.
- Protect landlords' investment.
- Avoid unnecessary costs and fines.
- Keep void periods to a minimum.
WHAT NEXT
Review your inventory service; by using a trained 'HHSRS aware' clerk - at no extra cost - you can alert your landlords to possible dangers and implications of hazards. It could save them your fees many times over.
The government supply a free PDF with guidance on the HHSRS.
