Practical tips

Adviser: Tips for successful tenancies

26 August 2013

Our housing advice line gets stacks of queries about renting privately. A lot of the PRS cases that come through to me and my colleagues could have been prevented at the start of the tenancy if the tenant or the landlord was better prepared.

We get a lot of calls in September and October each year from people who've signed up to a tenancy that hasn't worked out. The reasons that people have for wanting to get out of agreements are understandable, some common issues are:

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Private Tenancies, Practical tips, Landlord, Adviser

Is written Notice to Quit valid if served by Email or Text

8 August 2013

To end a tenancy either the landlord or the tenant must serve a Notice to Quit. But, can that notice be served electronically? We’ve asked our Legal Team to investigate. Carmel Ferguson reports.

The law regarding Notice to Quit

Article 14 Of the Private Tenancies Order 2006 states that—

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Private Tenancies, Practical tips, Case law, Legal

Negative equity, possession and second charge lending

19 July 2013

Many applications for possession orders are made by lenders who have a second charge on the defendant’s home. Carmel Ferguson, Solicitor and member of the Legal Team at Housing Rights Service, discusses the Chancery Court’s approach to these proceedings when the property is in negative equity.

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Repossession, Practical tips, Legal

Croatia joins the European Union

1 July 2013

On 1st July 2013 Croatia became the latest country to join the European Union. This means that Croatian citizens have the right of free movement within the countries included in the European Economic Area. However, the UK government has put in place provisions which will restrict the ability of Croatian nationals to access the UK labour market. These restrictions will last until at least 30th June 2018, but may be extended to 30th June 2020.

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Legal, Practical tips

Adviser: Landlord repossessions

29 June 2013

How do I deal with landlord repossessions? It very much depends on whether the landlord’s done what he or she is supposed to do!

If the landlord didn’t get the right permission from the mortgage lender or acted outside the terms in the mortgage agreement, your client could be in trouble.

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Private Tenancies, Practical tips, Landlord, Adviser

Adviser: Rates liability in the private rented sector

28 June 2013

Imagine you’re a private tenant, paying rent each month and confident that you’re doing everything that’s required of you. One day you open your post to find a final demand from Land & Property Services insisting that you pay £2000+ by the end of the month or face court. It’s particularly confusing when your tenancy agreement says your rent includes rates and your landlord’s responsible for paying these to LPS.

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Private Tenancies, Practical tips, Affordability, Adviser

Adviser: Rates & housing benefit problems

28 June 2013

Last year Alison came to Housing Rights Service for help. She was being threatened with bankruptcy over rates arrears of almost £7000. I took on her case and here's what happened.

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Practical tips, Affordability, Adviser

The Hidden Costs of Private Renting in Northern Ireland - An Investigation into the Practice of Letting Charges

Research Paper

June 2013

The hidden costs of renting private accommodation in Northern Ireland have been revealed in an undercover survey carried out by Housing Rights Service. A ‘mystery shopping’ survey of 40 lettings agents across Northern Ireland found that upfront fees of as much as £100 were demanded by some agents to cover routine services such as credit checks and general administration costs. This was on top of a deposit (normally one month’s rent) and a month’s rent in advance.