COVID news and regulations round up

There is a lot of information going around at the moment about how to manage your properties in these troubling times. 

Here is a round up of what we know so far: 

Three months notice required for evictions 

Landlords will not be able to start eviction proceedings a tenant for 3 months. As per our action plan the best thing to do is to work with your current tenants. Courts and bailiffs will not be available for 90 days from the 27th of March. This means that landlords who had handed in eviction notice prior to the 27th of March will have to wait until around July for court hearings and physical evictions. Needless to say there will be a backlog for evictions once business activities resume. 

Repair obligations still in place 

You should still take care of all urgent/necessary repairs. However, be cautious. Remain in separate rooms, do not have direct contact, do not touch things unnecessarily and wash hands and clean surfaces afterwards. You can find the full government guidance here. If you are unable to gain access to the property (say because the tenant is refusing access) or you cannot find a contractor to carry out the work (most contractors are only performing urgent work), inform your tenant and keep a record of all attempts made to gain access or commission a contractor. 

Face to face Right to Rent checks relaxed

Sadly the government has not chosen to bench this rule. However, you can now perform R2R rechecks over video calls provided you have an electronic copy of the documents and are able to see the tenant holding up the document via video. It is important to note that Husmus continues to provide this service as part of our referencing service. 

Minimum Energy Efficiency Standards (MEES) law enacted

The laws came into effect on the 1st of April and the government have published guidance. All properties with new, renewed and existing tenancies must have a minimum EPC rating of E. If your property is rated lower, and you do not hold an exemption, you will be subject to a fine. If you have not yet got an updated EPC, you should make plans to book an assessor as soon as possible. 

Short term/holiday lets are on the decline 

The travel and holiday industry has been particularly effected by the COVID-19 pandemic. Because of this landlords who previously sought higher profits in holiday lets are returning to long-term lets to mitigate their losses. Interestingly, there is evidence that they are re-joining at significantly lower rental prices undercutting traditional landlords.