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TODAY'S OTHER NEWS

Do more to inform tenants of their rights, NLA urges government

The government needs to do more to provide tenants with better information on their rights and responsibilities if it is to avoid a breakdown of trust between renters and their landlords, according to the National Landlords Association (NLA).

Fresh research, commissioned by the NLA, found that more than three quarters - 79% - of tenants need better information about what they should expect from their landlords or letting agents.

The NLA also found that more than two thirds - 67% - of tenants were not aware of the government’s How To Rent guide that is designed to help them understand their rights and responsibilities.

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The guide provides tenants with key information on what to look out for before renting, living in a rented home, what happens at the end of a tenancy, and what to do if things go wrong.

The survey, conducted by Dynata on behalf of the NLA, also revealed that most tenants have a good relationship with their landlords, with 68% of tenants stating that they never had any cause to complain to their landlord. A further 12% said that when they had complained, the problem was solved to their satisfaction.

But the NLA is concerned that tenants’ failure to fulfil their responsibilities will undermine their relationship with landlords.

Richard Lambert, CEO of the NLA, commented: “It is alarming that so few tenants seem to know about the government’s flagship guide on their rights and responsibilities. It’s clear that compelling landlords to give tenants copies of the How to Rent Guide has made little impact. 

“Unless the government tackles this problem quickly, there is a danger that there will be a breakdown of trust between landlords and tenants at a time when this relationship is already coming under strain because of overregulation in the PRS.”

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Poll: Do you agree that the government needs to do more to provide tenants with better information on their rights and responsibilities?

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  •  G romit

    Easy expand the "How to Rent" guide to be 500 pages. :-)

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    Most tenants don't even read the tenancy agreement or know what's in it, so reading ''how to rent'' won't happen.

     
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    • 24 June 2019 09:33 AM

    When I checkin new tenants as a self- managing LL it usually takes about 5 hrs!!!!!
    I do all the paperwork etc and give the tenants a lecture as to their rights.
    Most are simply amazed and state they never knew half of what I had told them.
    I always tell them the truth as because I am a good LL they will NEVER have any issues with me in that I will always be responsive to their concerns.
    So they won't need to exercise any rights as I the LL will always do the correct thing.
    Washing machine defective........new replacement in 5 days.
    Defective boiler.................engineer in atdce the following day.
    None of my tenants have ever had to exercise their rights apart from the 5 I had to evict who used their rights to not pay me rent and trash the property before eventual eviction!!!!!!!!

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    Exactly me too Paul. Precisely how I operate.

     
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    Me to exactly how I run things just don’t pay any attention to those toads in Westminster

     
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    Ha! So we give them huge documents, can be fined huge amounts or be precluded from being able to issue a Section 21 if we don't and then they don't read them! Far easier and environmentally-friendly if the tenancy agreements could just list a website where they could read this information if they wanted to (which obviously they don't). It would save a few forests, wasted money on paper and cartridges and a whole load of wasted time. It would also stop these disproportionate penalties on landlords for not issuing something which tenants don't want. The RLA and NLA should be suggesting this to Government.

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    It will never be adopted Ros, its too sensible. In any case the purpose of most government legislation seems to be to criminalise landlords for making an inconsequential administrative error and having a website to give the tenant information would not achieve the objective.

     
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    Further to National Landlords Association article on your blog today, of which I am a member. I don't agree with any of this, do you really think that the tenants don't know all about Renting ?, you must be having a laugh with reference to "How to Rent" guide. Tenants are usually younger than LL's more educated, digital competent and all have iPhones and know all or able to access everything. The Tenants are coming to me telling me their rights so don't bother with your surveys. How to Rent was brought in by Shelter in 2014, forced into our Tenancy agreements against our wishes, not required & without Consultation, how do you think we managed for the decades gone before. This is more unnecessary unpaid work load for LL's to add to all the other unpaid things we have to do, this has proved to be legally inept, ie Introduced on 10-4-14 / changed again 11-6-14 & / 25-9-14 / 1-10-15 / 1-2-16 / 17-1-18 / 26-6-18 / 9-7-18 / 31-5-19, just how many goes does those incompetent people want. They have cost me so much printing those booklets again & again then not able to use them because you must have the latest one whats a waste of paper, I know my time is irrelevant free for all. Just Scrap "How to Rent" and while you are at it Scrap "Right to Rent"as well.

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    • 24 June 2019 09:57 AM

    I must admit that cost of printer ink per new tenancy is not insignificant.
    But now we can't even charge.
    I don't want to offset against tax as I lose that money until the next tax year.
    It used to be a few pages so I might use 1 black ink cartridge
    Now with 4 tenants that is 4 cartridges at £13 each.
    I like to give each tenant their own documents even on a single AST.
    Starting to become costly.
    Fortunately I have long term AST all now periodic so not much printing required.
    But even black printer ink at Wilko is costly!!!It is patent nonsense that LL are required to action hardcopies.
    An email link should be all that is required or attachments to email.
    I receive my car insurance details by email.
    Never caused me an problems!!

     
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    Just Scrap it and be done.

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    Agree. All a load of absolute rubbish and just creates wages for some jobsworth twit.
    All professional LLs must be aware of all rules and reg and ask and get tenants to sign confirmi they fully understand what they have to do as a responcible tenant. Sign and witness and if dont, dont get tenancy, so simple why you shelter and council twits make it so difficult.

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