The selective licence scheme in Greenwich went live on 1st October so technically, any landlord who has not already applied for a licence is committing an offence but it has been pointed out that the licence application system only went live "just a few days before the scheme started" thus making it difficult for many landlords to apply for licences before the go live date of the scheme.

The last week has seemed as if the whole country is witnessing a bonfire of the sanities. The calm of the mourning period following the passing of Queen Elizabeth II perhaps presaging in some ways what was to come next.

In March of this year we reported on a case concerning an appeal from a First Tier Tribunal (FTT) decision on occupation of a property (in Camden) by property guardians, the HMO status of such a property and the application to such a property of rent repayment orders. That decision in turn has been appealed from the Upper Tier Tribunal (UTT) to the Court of Appeal where a hearing is yet to take place.

ICYMI: New smoke and carbon monoxide alarm regulations come into force tomorrow (1st October 2022) so from 2nd October, non-compliant landlords can be hit with £5000 fines. Links to Govt guidance for landlords and local authorities can be accessed here.

The landlord, Mr Pritchard, had moved to Thailand but was the "controlling director" of 3 companies that he had set up to manage his HMO properties in Wrexham, Wales. He had employed a manager to look after the properties but the manager "failed to adequately maintain or inspect" the 3 HMOs.

Mold Magistrates Court described the landlord's behaviour as "outrageous" as it sentenced him following his guilty plea to an offence of illegal eviction and harassment carried out in a "moment of madness".

The Chartered Institute of Environmental Health and the Building Research Establishment both expressed their disappointment that there was no mention of any funding proposals in the new Chancellor's mini-Budget (or "Fiscal Event" as the Government has named it) to properly solve the winter fuel poverty crisis via improving residential energy efficiency.

Private rented sector selective licensing of residential properties continues apace with new licensing schemes set to start in Greenwich, London, on 1st October and in Leicester (which we reported on in July) on 10th October.

The management company operated a purpose built block of student accommodation that opened in 2020 and which comprised 242 rooms in 41 cluster flats.

It has been announced that the Government will make it a legal obligation for landlords of private rented properties where utility bills are included in the rent to pass on the cost of living crisis £400 energy bills rebate to their tenants.