Hi, all.
Fines - Gov Guidance
Landlords to face huge fines - Paul Champlainer - Landlord Action
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wJqj9YtjKFc
I especially liked
Failure to notify tenants of required changes introduced under the Act - 2,000,
while the relevant form hasn’t been issued yet (should have been done at the end of Jan).
Do you think LA will follow government recommendations and really charge these extortionate fees?
How will councils even know if a notice to tenants about the act has or hasnt been served? They dont even know (unless there’s a licensing scheme or its an HMO) who the LLs are nor who the tenants are nor if there is a tenancy this applies to. There’s no database of all tenancies (yet).
So likely to be an ‘add on’ fine for when they find out about LLs doing other stuff wrong like not dealing with damp/mould and tenant reports them to the council. Just like at present not having an eicr or gas safety certificate can lead to big fines from hse i think but hse doesnt actively go searching for rented properties where that’s the case
Best
I think there will be campaigns to inform tenants of their rights that will highlight these changes and where tenants are aware of mistakes by their landlord, it will give them the upper hand in any negotiations, such as rent rises, full deposit return, pets, leaving early etc
@David122 always been the case that if LLs make mistakes that could lead to fines etc (no hmo licence, no gas certificate or eicr etc) tenants have had more bargaining power. Nothing new.
Nor sure I’ve seen any evidence of plans for campaigns to inform them but the one about telling tenants about the info they must be given about RRA is the obvious candidate and no reason tenants would find out from such campaigns and not LLs unless perhaps LL abroad and doesn’t have an agent paying attention about new LL requirements for them and aren’t part of a landlord association- in which case it’s a risk they are choosing to take to save £.
Anyway a few high profile cases reported in the media (like the MP with licensing issues) and it will quickly be well known.
I’m sure all these concerns were raised when Tenancy Fees Act came in (and legislation on gas safety certs etc ) but there are relatively few cases of fines etc at property tribunal. It will be more as LAs will have more enforcement powers of course.
Are we supposed to feel sorry for LLs who run a business and wilfully choose to ignore changes to rules affecting their business if as you suggest they will be publicized in campaigns?
Best
I think what you might be missing is that the climate right now is the least favourable it’s ever been to LLs in the PRS including both more public awareness (leaflet coming out which has to be passed to tenants as a statutory duty for example) and more penalties with many of them more onerous than ever.
So, no, not exactly like it was in the '80s.
Think the existing penalties for not having hmo licence (etc) quite large! Whether new extra higher fines makes a difference depends how enforced. There are all sorts of offences on the statute book added over many years where there are actually very small numbers of prosecutions.
And more public awareness also means more LL awareness that they need to follow rules.
For sure it’s tougher to be an accidental LL who doesn’t know what they are doing and doesn’t seek help as more rules and regs to trip over. Same as every other business that has to deal with health and safety and consumer rights which have all been strengthen over successive decades to protect consumers.
The environment makes LLs feel more threatened and more leave as a result too.
But high potential fines means more deterrence too.
Best
As you know, I’m not talking about willfully ignoring the rules, but the many who I believe will know make genuine mistakes. However, let’s not re-hash that discussion.
Yes, talking about pets….Not looking forward to it at all. We had a (very nice) girl with a rabbit once. The flat was a horror scene when she left. She herself said that her rabby almost died by electrocuting herself when she chewed through the electric wires.
Its actually never been easy to refuse rabbits because tenants are allowed to keep them under the Allotments Act 1950, although only for properties with gardens.
It was a flat. Without a garden.
Yikes. Burnt bunny
Blanket bans won’t be possible under RRA but means pets requests have to be considered, not accepted. But if you have reasonable grounds you can still refuse. Think below covers it (not just risk of chewing wires tho that experience is a good one to cite…)
“Damage Concerns: Because rabbits chew carpets and woodwork, a landlord may deem them high-risk for damage.”
Also
Common reasons for landlords refusing pets
Landlords have many reasons for not allowing pets in their properties.
The most common are:
Wear and tear to the property – a 2022 report by industry trade bodies Propertymark and the National Residential Landlords Association (NRLA) found that 85.3% of landlords have had their property damaged by pets and most (57%) were unable to recoup the cost.
The cost of insurance due to add-ons for pet damage – the same report discovered that only 0.5% of landlords were able to claim the cost of pet damage through insurance.
The pet is not suitable for the property. For example, a dog is too large for the home or you have too many pets.
Pets causing a nuisance for neighbours.
Irresponsible owners who fail to clean up after their pet.
Infestation from pests such as fleas and ticks.
If the property is a leasehold, then the freeholder might forbid pets in their agreement with your landlord.
Source: Can landlords refuse pets in a rented property? | MoneyHelper
And just to be clear - I’m not against all pets. Just not when unsuitable.
Oh, brilliant. So let me get this absolutely crystal clear — we’re now expected to personally inform every tenant about the Renters’ Rights Act 2025 and walk them through all the wonderful new powers they get? Fantastic. So I’m supposed to cheerfully tell them that they can basically set up camp in my property for as long as they fancy, because apparently I have next to zero authority to ask them to leave.
And let’s not forget the best part — I also get to inform them that if they decide not to pay rent for, oh, a year or so (maybe longer, who knows!), it’s totally fine because the court system will be so backed up they’ll practically have a free pass.
And then — just to really wrap this up with a bow — I’m the one who gets hit with thousands in fines if I don’t pass along this delightful news? Really? That’s the plan? Seriously?!
You can leave the “cheerful” part out )).
Not really. There will be an info leaflet to send them much like the ‘how to rent’ guide. So you have to send them an email with an attachment. No big deal.
From landlordzone (REVEALED: Information landlords must give tenants under new Act’)
“The draft regulations also say expressly that existing tenancies with written agreements will not need to do any of this and instead they will need to provide a leaflet to be published by government alongside the final version of the Statutory Instrument (secondary legislation). Smith, at Spector, Constant and Williams, explains: “This also suggests that the final version will not be published until March which was when the leaflet was promised for.”
I’m not going to comment on your other points except to say they reflect lots of concerns from other LLs on this fora who say they are exiting as a result. Time will tell whether things will really be as bad as they predict.
Best
Yes.
And your message could have stopped there. That’s all you have to do.
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