News Desk

Here you will find a selection of articles covering the latest industry news for the Private Rented Sector as well as some of our own thought provoking articles! Feel free to share any articles that you find interesting.

Harry Ulaeto

Balancing local authority budgets: Calculating the cost of discretionary licensing

Local government budgets are stretched, especially when balancing essential services with discretionary licensing schemes. Home Safe’s partnership provides councils with fixed-cost solutions, allowing stable budgeting and confident planning for inspections and compliance, ensuring resources are used effectively to meet legal obligations.

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Home Safe

A recent Upper Tier Tribunal rent repayment case highlights the responsibility of landlords to make themselves aware of local licensing schemes

A recent Upper Tier Tribunal rent repayment case highlights the responsibility of landlords to make themselves aware of local licensing schemes.

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Harry Ulaeto

The importance of effective delivery in Selective Licensing Schemes: Engaging a Delivery Partner for efficiency

Selective Licensing Schemes have, in recent years, gained traction as a means to drive positive change in the private rented sector (PRS). The Renters’ Rights Bill does not change this trend as provision for folding discretionary licensing schemes into the wider PRS reforms is made in the Bill.

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Harry Ulaeto

The Renters' Rights Bill: Navigating new costs for Local Authorities

The Renters’ Rights Bill will return to Parliament for debate this week. The introduction of the Decent Homes Standard and the expansion under the proposed legislation of Awaab’s Law to tackle damp and mould, along with the requirement to report property inspection data, will give tenants greater confidence that they are living in safe and warm homes.

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Harry Ulaeto

Smoke alarms and carbon monoxide detectors in the PRS: Why property inspections are essential for tenant safety

Last year we reported on a grim case in Leeds where the tenant (who was also an employee of the landlord) of a basement flat, with no planning permission, died of his injuries 10 days after a fire broke out in his home. Among the other serious deficiencies at the property that increased the probability of death if a fire started, there were no smoke detectors or fire alarms.

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Harry Ulaeto

EPC targets and the hidden challenges: What’s really going on behind the front door?

The Secretary of State for Energy, Ed Miliband MP, outlined the government's vision for energy performance certificates (EPCs) at the recent Labour Party conference. Saying millions would be lifted out of fuel poverty, he added that the poorest people in the country often lived in cold and draughty homes and that the government would seek to go “further and faster” in ending this situation thus “ensuring every rented home reaches decent standards of energy efficiency.”

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Home Safe

Meet the team: Wayne Frost, Inspections Programme Manager

In the next instalment of our Meet the Team series, we introduce Wayne Frost, whose extensive experience in housing health and safety has been key to the success of delivering comprehensive inspection programmes for our Local Authority partners. In this interview, Wayne shares his journey to becoming Inspections Programme Manager, discusses the vital role his team plays in supporting Local Authorities, and highlights how their combined efforts are improving housing standards for tenants.

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Harry Ulaeto

Damp and mould: A preventable threat to tenant safety and the importance of early intervention from Local Authorities

The tragic death of two-year-old Awaab Ishak in December 2020 from an acute respiratory condition, caused by exposure to black mould in his Rochdale home, highlighted the urgent need for better housing conditions. In response, government guidance on damp and mould for both social and private sector landlords, as well as Local Authorities, has been updated to address these preventable hazards.

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Harry Ulaeto

Selective Licensing in the regulatory toolkit: Why Local Authorities must be prepared in order to enforce civil penalties on rogue landlords

A common historic complaint from private sector landlords about the use by Local Authorities of Selective Licensing in regulating the PRS was that the councils took the licensing fees from landlords, good and bad, and then fined any landlords who’d not applied for a licence but did little else to improve matters. Effectively, a licensing scheme was just a way to impose a ‘tax’ on landlords.

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Home Safe

Meet the team: Mike Brook, Scheme Manager

As part of our Meet the Team series, we introduce Mike Brook, whose extensive experience at Leeds City Council has uniquely equipped him to understand the challenges Local Authorities face. Here, he shares insights into his background, his role at Home Safe, and how we are supporting Local Authorities in addressing mounting pressures to improve housing standards across the sector.

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