Dear all,
Hope you are well. The last week and the coming week we are focusing on tying things up before Sarah leaves up for an exciting time in Newcastle.
Colin and I as the constants are still on hand and available for questions and queries and issues or just a chat. I will add that next weekend is the September weekend, the schools are off, the office is still closed, so it will seem like it is May again, but without the sunny spell!
I jest, everyone has come along way since the start of this pandemic and although it has not been easy, working together has shown that we can and will get through this.
I always ask the young man in my life what he thinks I should put in the landlord email, and I have had wonderful spring board ideas in the past.Yesterday was not quite that day.After giving me a lecture on the wonder that is discord which he is setting up for his school to use should there be another situation where the schools close, he gave the suggestion of eggdog, and then dismissed that because I talked about dogs before. Then he gave me the suggestion of a lasagne recipe using spaghetti and his final suggestion was to use the google news articles that are funny.
I do wonder what he thinks I do, and also, I wonder if Gen Z will forget why we call them “newspapers” because fewer and fewer people are reading the paper article, I know I read the news on line and hand on heart do not know when I last bought an actual newspaper.
Eviction “ban” campaign
Thank you to the landlords that emailed the MSPs about the proposed legislation and changes regarding rent arrears.
TC Young solicitors posted a very good article which can be found at http://ow.ly/RqgQ50Bn1X6 which explains New Regulations to reduce the extended notice periods for eviction grounds relating to antisocial behaviour & criminal convictions to 28 days in the private rented sector.If you have not contacted the member of Scottish Parliament and wish to have your say the details can be found in the previous emailhttps://glasgowpropertyletting.com/landlord-email-27th-august-2020-bats-notice-banking-and-reviews/
PRS Landlord (non-business) Covid-19 Loan Support – see information
Scottish Assocation of Landlords are pleased that due to lobbying, the Scottish Government are now offering financial assistance to landlords who suffer a loss of income as a result of the coronavirus crisis.Their policy team are aware that a loan is not as good as a grant. This is obviously not as beneficial a support as members would choose, however it is a significant and hard won concession which we must welcome, particularly with it being interest free while bank finance remains relatively high cost for those who need it. It is worth noting this is available for landlords letting in Scotland only. So far there has been no such support for landlords made available in England and Wales.SAL continues to make several points to the Scottish Government:
1. The loan scheme is welcome but needs to go further.2. Landlords are being unfairly penalised at a time when other small businesses and self-employed people have been supported with grants to save their businesses.
3. Landlords of any portfolio size should have access to the scheme.4. Loans should be available for more than one property where rent has been lost due to Covid-19.5. There is little recognition for the fact that landlords are taxpayers and provide much needed homes for people to live in, in some cases for the most vulnerable in society.
Consultation on regulation of short-term/holiday lets -Just for general information, should not affect the lease agreement you have
Earlier this year the Housing Minister announced in parliament that the Scottish Government will :
- Introduce licencing for short-term lets, under the Civil Government (Scotland) Act 1982, with a mandatory safety component which will apply to all short-term lets across Scotland. Local authorities will also be given the discretion to put in place further conditions; to help tackle littering or overcrowding of properties, for example.
- Give local authorities the power to introduce short-term let control areas within which planning permission will always be required for the change of use of whole properties for short-term lets.
- Undertake a review of the tax treatment of short-term lets, to ensure they make an appropriate contribution to the communities they operate in.
Regulations giving local authorities these new powers to licence short-term lets and introduce control areas will be in place by spring 2021.The Scottish Government’s proposals include a mandatory licensing scheme to ensure that all short-term lets are safe and to address issues faced by neighbours. In order to obtain a licence the owner of the property would be required to ensure it meets the same safety and repairing standards as apply to long term lets in the private rented sector. The government plans to give local authorities discretion as to when they bring the provisions into force in their area. However, all local authorities must have a live licencing scheme open to receive licensing applications by 1 April 2022.
The proposals also give local authorities the power to introduce short-term let control areas within which planning permission will always be required for the change of use of properties for short-term lets.The regulations, if passed by Parliament, would come into force by April 2021.
Energy efficiency
The government has delayed the launch of the Energy Efficiency (Domestic Private Rented Property) (Scotland) Regulations 2020, which were due to come into force on 1 April 2020. The work on improving energy efficiency in private rented housing will resume once the current Covid-19 crisis comes to an end and the regulations may still come into force before the first trigger point of 1 October 2020. I have no further details on grants and funding, but I hope to be able to update you soon.If you are worried and need to find out your properties Energy Performance Certificate, please feel free to drop and email into admin@glasgowpropertyletting.com or give me a call.
If you could send me a message first as I may be on another call, in a zoom meeting or out on my exercise walk which is one of the things I started in lockdown and I am continuing to enjoy.
Today is International Patient Safety Day and thank you for the positive feedback regarding the recommendation for the book Dear NHS, I like the book and some of the stories made me laugh, others brough a tear to my eye, and the funds got to the NHS.
take care, and stay safe
Regards
Michelle O’Donnell
Branch Manager
17 Elmbank StreetGlasgowG2 4PB0141 221 399007720009850
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