How to rent: tenants helped to know their rights with new checklist
11 Jun 2014 10:29 AM
Housing Minister Kris
Hopkins launches new 'How to rent' guide for private rented sector
tenants.
The heat is on for the small
minority of rogue landlords as Housing Minister Kris Hopkins launched a new on-the-move
guide to give private rented sector tenants the need to know rental
rights at their fingertips.
Mr Hopkins said that encouraging
a new generation of well-informed tenants with easy access to useful and
understandable information would help root out the small minority of rogues and
raise the game of any landlords who don’t know what is expected of
them.
The launch comes as the
government confirmed plans to require all letting agents to publish a full
tariff of their fees - both on their websites and prominently in their offices.
Anyone who does not comply with these new rules will face a fine – a much
stricter penalty than currently exists.
This is part of the
government’s wider work to bring clarity and fairness to the system and
ensure that England’s 9 million private rented sector tenants have the
knowledge to hold their landlord to account, without introducing excessive
regulation which would force up rents and reduce choice.
And this is on top of additional
measures being brought forward to provide magistrates’ courts with the
power to impose unlimited fines on landlords found guilty of not meeting their
responsibilities, such as failing to carry out essential improvement works to a
property or continuing to rent out a property which the council has ruled is
not fit for habitation
How to rent
The How to rent
guide will help tenants when they’re looking for a new home as
it can be viewed on the move on their smartphones and tablets and
includes:
- advice and information on
tenancy deposit schemes, bill payments and tenancy length
- a checklist of what the landlord
must provide tenants, including gas certificate and deposit
paperwork
- information on the requirements
of the landlord to maintain the structure of the property and give tenants at
least 24 hours’ notice before entering the property
- the legal requirements for
landlords and tenants on ending tenancies and returning
deposits
Housing Minister Kris Hopkins
said:
This government is turning up
the heat on the small minority of rogue landlords that are not playing by the
rules and giving tenants a rough deal.
The new ‘How to
rent’ guide will give tenants the knowledge they need at their fingertips
and help raise the game of landlords who may not know what is expected of
them.
We are doing all of this without
the need for excessive state regulation that would destroy investment in new
housing, push up prices and make it far harder for people to find a flat or
house to rent.
The private rental sector is
vital asset to the country and this government is determined to get Britain
building and boost investment in the sector.
The new £1 billion Build
to Rent fund helps developers build homes specifically for the private rented
sector, and is on track to have work underway on up to 10,000 new homes by
2015.
In addition to this the
government ‘s housing guarantee scheme is supporting up to £10
billion worth of investment finance in large-scale private rented projects and
additional affordable housing.
Further
information
The How to rent
guide is available to download and read.
The government has already
introduced new legislation which will require all letting and managing agents
in England to belong to an approved redress scheme ensuring tenants and
leaseholders have a straightforward option to hold their agents to
account.
Other measures in the pipeline
include:
- a new code to set standards for
the management of property in the private rented sector - with a view to making
it statutory
- the introduction of a voluntary,
model tenancy agreement, which landlords and tenants can use for longer
tenancies, which will provide extra security and stability for
families
- extra guidance for local
councils on tackling rogue landlords, protecting tenants from illegal evictions
and how best to push for harsher penalties before magistrates for housing
offences
Office address and general
enquiries
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Bressenden Place
London
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