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In this issue:
Welcome to the second edition of the 2022 Coventry City Council Landlord newsletter.
On 1 April 2022 we changed our HMO licensing fee structure. The new fees apply to new HMO applications that were submitted on or after 1 April 2022. For more details regarding the new fees please visit our webpage. We have also updated our HMO Policy which reflects the changes in fees and our new approach for waiving licensing fees for properties used to tackle homelessness.
Stage 1 fees for withdrawn applications will no longer be refundable from 1 April 2022. However, we will continue to assess requests for refunds depending on specific circumstances on a case by case basis.
We are aware that there was an issue with the old Stage 1 fee being available when submitting a new application after 1 April 2022. However, we still expect the new fee to be paid and will be requesting the remaining fee to be paid when assessing HMO applications received between 1 April 2022 and 27 April 2022. Please see our webpage for up to date fees and a link to paying the difference if you believe you have paid an incorrect stage 1 fee.
As reported in our previous issues, you will be aware that the council has been undertaking a project funded by the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) to enforce the Minimum energy efficiency standards (MEES) regulations on non-compliant properties within the Bablake ward of the city.
The project aimed to tackle low energy efficiency properties in the private rented sector. With the aim of reducing fuel poverty in the city, thus ensuring tenants can live in a warm home, with fair energy bills as well as having a positive environmental impact.
The project was initially only targeting Bablake ward but, having targeted all properties in that ward, we were able to extend the project to the whole of the city of Coventry.
We would like to thank everyone who attended our recent forum event on MEES and hope you found the content informative. We were fortunate to host guest speakers, Act on Energy and National Energy Action. Should you wish for any further advice from them these are their web sites: Act on Energy and National Energy Action.
As the project now draws to a close we can report some of our successes:
- Total Stakeholder engagement & education – Approximately 23,076
- 59 Properties contacted showed improvement to above an E rating during the project
- All exemptions on the register checked.
- Project delivered on budget.
- All non-compliant properties in Bablake contacted and appropriate action taken.
The remainder of city has further data suggesting that more properties are non-compliant with the regulations. These will be checked and action taken going forwards.
More information on minimum energy efficiency or to report any concerns.
Regulations that were introduced across the country last year give local authorities powers to issue fines to landlords who fail to follow Electrical Safety Standards in the Private Sector (England) Regulations 2020.
The Council approved amendments to its Policy for Enforcing Standards in the Private Rented Sector (PRS) that includes the new powers, which place duties on landlords in relation to the safety of the electrical installation in privately rented properties.
These powers provide the Council with (among other things) the ability to request reports following inspections of properties to understand the condition of the electrical installation and confirm that the landlord is complying with the Regulations.
A recent case led to the Council fining a landlord £1,600. It followed concerns about the electrical installations in a property on Stoney Stanton Road.
Despite requesting that the landlord of the property provide an Electrical Installation Condition Report (EICR) to the Council within seven days – as required under the regulations – the landlord failed to do so.
The Council will now also be serving a remedial notice requiring further action to be taken. The EICR report should have been completed on or around April 2020 by a competent and suitably qualified electrician to show that the electrical installation in the property was safe and a copy provided to the tenant.
Adrian Chowns, Property Licensing and Housing Enforcement Manager for Coventry City Council, said: “We believe this is the first time these powers have been used by a local authority in England. It highlights how Coventry City Council is taking a proactive approach to enforcement and clamping down on rogue landlords in its city.”
With the recent price increases of energy and further increases proposed later in the year it is worth considering if landlords still wish to offer ‘bills included’ rent packages to new tenants.
Existing tenancies will need to be honoured and landlords should think about ways they can encourage tenants to reduce their energy usage accordingly. With that in mind the National Energy Action provide useful multi lingual flyers that landlords/agents may wish to print and leave at their properties.
Where landlords are including bills in the rent they may wish to consider a fair usage allowance (if they haven’t already). Our Landlord and Tenant Liaison officer would advise seeking legal advice if you are unsure about this.
However, whatever the circumstances the council would advise against interfering with the supply of energy to the property either directly or through refusal to pay the bill as this could lead to allegations of harassment and/or illegal eviction.
The Coventry Landlord Accreditation Scheme is now three years old. Like any scheme of this nature, there needs to be a robust auditing process. We will audit a member if we receive a complaint about their conduct or management of properties or if we discover serious problems with one of the properties that they own/manage. For more details, please visit our CLAS Webpage.
In addition, we will also be auditing incomplete applications to either make them complete or remove them from the process.
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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