Further to the success of its launch in 2011, SAFEagent is planning a concentrated week of activity between the 14-20 May 2012 to build momentum and continue the fast-growing awareness of the campaign among private landlords, tenants and consumers at large.

 

National SAFEagent Awareness Week will include a series of national and regional events across the UK, supported by registered lettings and management agents to increase awareness of how important it is to use a SAFEagent.

 

The launch of National SAFEagent Week follows yet more news that home ownership is in decline and social housing provision even more stretched, placing greater emphasis on the private rented sector (PRS) and letting agents.

 

John Midgely, Chair of the SAFEagent steering group says, We have achieved a great deal of support since SAFEagent's launch last year. SAFEagent Awareness Week will be a way of consolidating our efforts through a week long programme to promote the campaign to tenants and landlords and ensure that SAFEagent is top of consumers' checklist of requirements when they look for a letting agent ... We are very excited by the number of organisations who are already lending their support to this intensive week of activity and a full programme of events will be revealed shortly.

Over 1,800 letting agents have now signed up to SAFEagent.

In addition to Government support, key organizations in the industry including Which?, Citizens Advice Bureau, Shelter, Crisis, The Property Ombudsman, Consumer Focus, National Union of Students, OFT, GLA and Trading Standards Institute have all allied themselves to the scheme.  

Key suppliers to the sector are also standing behind the campaign, for example, HomeLet and GMG have led the way in pledging their backing to it.

 

For more information on the SAFEagent campaign, please visit www.safeagents.co.uk.

 

The Bank of England (BoE) resists unleashing extra emergency support for the economy amid mixed signals over the fate of the recovery.

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From 6th April 2012, landlords and letting agents will be required to produce a new Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) for all rental properties in England and Wales to bring the rules for selling and letting a property into line. 

The Landlord Syndicate, a network of companies providing a complete and free support centre for landlords, comments on what landlords should consider in light of these changes.

The new rules mean that landlords and letting agents must ensure an EPC has been commissioned before they begin to market their property and Trading Standards officials will be given powers to check up whether this has been done. 

The front page of the EPC must also be included on any marketing particulars for the property, be that online or otherwise.

Simon Thompson, Chair of the Landlord Syndicate says, There has been much debate as to how much notice is taken of EPCs and it will be interesting to see at what point amongst a tenant's priority list of location, size and decor for example, the energy efficiency of a rental property will come into play. However, landlords should be mindful that this level of transparency will enable tenants to make informed decisions much earlier, before they even make an appointment to view the property, so if a property is heavily publicised as not efficient it could be passed by.

Previously, landlords did not have to produce an EPC until just before contracts were signed.

The design of the EPC has also been improved to make it easier to understand - details about energy costs and how to improve them are clearer. 

Simon continues, With the cost of living an ever increasing sum, tenants may well be more mindful of the subsequent cost of utility bills in a less environmentally friendly property and it would be a shrewd decision for those landlords who are concerned, and especially those with older properties, to look at making even small changes which could improve their property.

The Landlord Syndicate believe the net effect of the changes will bring an overall improvement in the energy efficiency and consequently the quality of properties in the private rented sector. 

Simon Concludes, With laws surrounding EPCs looking set to only get tougher in the coming years with possible restrictions on letting poor performing properties, landlords will be faced with the choice of either upgrading their property or removing it from the rental market altogether, so our advice would be to start making improvements now.

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Wednesday 21st March 2012

 

Here are the key points announced in this year's Budget...

50p top rate of tax cut to 45p from April 2013;

Personal income tax allowance increases to £9205 from April 2013;

Anti-tax avoidance rule introduced.

Age-related allowances for pensioners simplified from April 2013 with single personal allowance that ensures no pensioner loses;

Automatic review of state pension age to ensure it keeps pace with increasing lifespans;

New single-tier state pension for future pensioners to be set at about £140 and based on contributions.

To be reduced by 1% for every £100 earned by a parent over £50,000 and scrapped altogether at £60,000.

7% stamp duty level introduced on purchase of homes worth more than £2million. Homes in this price bracket upwards bought through companies will pay 15% stamp duty;

More financial help for building firms.

Tobacco duty to rise by 5% above inflation from 6pm - adding 37p to pack of cigarettes;

No change on alcohol duty;

No change to fuel duty plans.

Corporation tax reduced to 24% from April and down to 22% by 2014;

More straightforward tax system for small firms turning over up to £77,000;

Possible enterprise loans for young people to start business.

Sunday trading laws relaxed for eight Sundays during Olympics and Paralympics, starting July 22.

Office for Budget Responsibility revises 2012 UK growth forecast up from 0.7% to 0.8%. 2013 2%, 2014 is 2.7%;

UK inflation forecast to fall from 2.8% this year to 1.9% in 2013;

Borrowing this year to be £126billion;

Unemployment to hit 8.7% later this year before falling to 6.3% by 2016-17.

 

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A mortgage fraudster was hit with a confiscation order for £35,000 after she lied about her employment status to agree an £85,000 mortgage from Halifax Bank of Scotland.

Anzelika Trifonova, based in Rosyth, Fife previously pled guilty to a common law mortgage fraud and was sentenced at Kirkcaldy Sheriff's Court on Wednesday this week to 250 hours' community service.

The head of the Serious and Organised Crime Division, Lindsey Miller, said Trifonova made a significant amount of money from the crime and the Crown would use the Proceeds of Crime legislation to get it back.

This should act as a warning to others considering committing crime, said Miller.

The recovered cash will be reinvested in activities for young people through the Scottish government-funded criminal intervention project the Cash Back for Communities scheme.

Other recent cases of convicted mortgage fraudsters include a bogus solicitor jailed for £8m mortgage fraud, a fraudulent Oxford letting agent handed £300,000 fine and, a convicted fraudster having his £2.2m assets siezed under the proceeds of crime legislation.

A Fraud register will be launched in July, this year.

What We Say ~ should anyone encourage you to mis-inform any lender about the details of your purchase or your personal financial situation, we strongly recommend you walk away, reporting the incident to the local Police.

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