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In this issue:
Due to Covid-19 restrictions the next landlord forum will take place virtually. Landlords can sign up to one of two sessions either at 11:30am or 2:30pm on 3 June 2020. Please register your interest by emailing CLAS@coventry.gov.uk – we are looking to host around 150 persons per session on a first come first served basis. Landlords will only be able to register for one session.
You will be able to hear presentations on licensing and amenity standards and be able to ask questions through the question and answer facility. We look forward to hearing from you.
The government has published detailed advice for tenants and landlords; some of the questions we are being most commonly asked include:
Can I ask, as a HMO landlord, for Council Tax relief to help offset the loss in income due to the coronavirus outbreak?
Help is available for landlords and businesses please see:
Can tenants stop paying rent because of the coronavirus outbreak?
There is no payment break or holiday for renters. They can only pause your rent payments if you as a landlord agree. Some landlords can apply for a break in mortgage payments if their tenants are struggling to pay rent due to coronavirus, but this won’t always be possible. They will still have to make up missed payments later.
Can I evict my tenant straight away because of coronavirus?
It's illegal for you to evict your tenant without following the correct legal process.
Illegal eviction is a criminal offence - coronavirus doesn't change this.
It's likely to be an illegal eviction if you:
- make your tenant leave without notice or a court order
- lock your tenant out of their home, even temporarily.
- Harass your tenant in an effort to make them leave.
We have published more FAQs at www.coventry.gov.uk/covidhousing and we will update this page regularly as more questions come in.
Additional Licensing requires all HMO properties in Coventry to now be licensed, regardless of how many tenants they comprise.
- The Additional Licensing designation went live on 4 May 2020, and landlords still need to provide licence applications
- We appreciate that landlords will not be able to enter properties to obtain certificates at this time. If certificates have lapsed, please provide the most recent copy you have available. If you have no copies of a given certificate, please upload a Word document explaining the reasons why.
- The Council will be taking a pragmatic, risk-based approach to enforcement during this time
For more information, please visit http://www.coventry.gov.uk/hmo
New legislation, the Electrical Safety Standards in the Private Rented Sector (England) Regulations 2020, is about to come into effect. This means that landlords must ensure every fixed electrical installation is inspected and tested at least every five years by a qualified person.
The Regulations also state that a landlord is required to obtain a report of the results of the inspection and test, supply it to each tenant within 28 days and retain a copy until the next inspection is due.
These requirements apply to all new tenancies in England from 1 July 2020 or from 1 April 2021 for existing tenancies. This applies to all privately rented properties, not just HMOs
The Regulations require local housing authorities to enforce the rules and they have the power to arrange remedial action and proven breaches of the Regulations can result in the local housing authority imposing a financial penalty of up to £30,000.
Let’s Rent Coventry is a new rent guarantee scheme for Coventry, working in collaboration with private landlords across the city. It matches people who are homeless, or at risk of homelessness, with landlords who have properties to let.
We offer guaranteed rent and other benefits to private sector landlords who want to work with the Council by providing tenancies in order to alleviate homelessness in the city. This includes a payment of up to 5 weeks rent as a deposit.
If you are interested, there is more information available on the Let's Rent website or alternatively, contact LetsRentCoventry@coventry.gov.uk
Much of our advice is included on the Council’s website but to help keep up-to-date key information is included in this e-newsletter. Unfortunately, there are still lots of people who are not aware of key aspects of renting property. There are over 2700 people currently signed up but to help make sure all those in working private renting are signed up please share your newsletter with your contacts and encourage people to sign up.
We want to work with you to improve housing in the city. If you want to get in touch with any questions please, contact the team:
Email: hmo@coventry.gov.uk
Telephone: 024 7697 5467
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