I heard a bird sing in the dark of December. A magical thing. And sweet to remember. We are nearer to spring than we were in September. I heard a bird sing in the dark of December.

Oliver Herford

What freezings I have felt, what dark days seen,
What old December’s bareness everywhere!

William Shakespeare

December got its name from the Latin word decem (meaning ten) because it was originally the tenth month of the year in the calendar of Romulus c. 750 BC which began in March. The winter days following December were not included as part of any month.

December 2 is the 336th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar; 29 days remain until the end of the year.

Dear all,

I cannot quite believe that we are in December!

We started to send out these weekly emails when the emergency coronavirus legislation came into force March 2020, and I hope that it has been quite a useful way to keep you up to date with the changes that affect you with regards to your property.

The emergency legislation is due to be reviewed March 2022 and there are going to be lots of factors that will affect if it is going to be extended, or altered and we shall keep you as informed as possible.

Smoke and heat alarm system

Please be aware that from February 2022 new regulations require an interlinked smoke and heat alarm system in all properties in Scotland (including owner-occupied homes) along with carbon monoxide detectors for any carbon fuelled devices.  If you log into your on line portal you will be able to see from the gas safety certificate or electrical installation and condition report that your property is compliant.

Private rented sector properties should already meet the standard which landlords have been required to adhere to since 2013 (smoke/heat alarms) and 2015 (CO alarms).

I have no idea how the Scottish Government are going to enforce this in homes.  I am sure there is a plan in place, HOWEVER I have noticed a lot of social media posts about this situation being used to defraud and steal from homeowners as people are gaining access to their home to check these alarms, and it is a terrible sign of the times.  I hope that the Scottish government release some sort of guidance for home owners to safely comply.

Grant fund to local authorities

The Scottish Government has now distributed a new £10 million grant fund to local authorities which is to be used to support tenants who are struggling as a direct result of the pandemic. The grant funding is available from now until 31 March 2022. It can be used to pay off arrears which arose between 23 March 2020 and 9 August 2021 and the money is paid directly to the landlord or letting agent.  We believe that in each council there is one direct contact that deals with the funding which the Scottish Association of Landlords are trying to obtain for each council.

Right to reside

The question has been asked “Is it lawful for landlords in Scotland to check that prospective tenants have the right to live in the UK?”
It is lawful to carry out such checks, but to avoid breaching discrimination legislation, landlords who wish to carry out such checks should do so on all applicants, not just those who are or appear to be from overseas.

We use the MyRentalCV and Vouch referencing system on all applicants,  which carries out all the checks as well as checking the First Tier Tribunal Website  because tenants with active, and historic cases will appear on there, but the information will not show up on a credit check.  The Scottish Association of Landlords are trying to have this changed, but it is a slow process

Tenants and Christmas decorations

We will be sending out a tenant email in preparation for Christmas and we wanted to check with you if there were ay restrictions with regards decorations. While it’s lovely to have a house that resembles the inside of Santa’s Grotto, decorations can require holes in walls, leave blue tack marks or play havoc with soft furnishings. All of these could affect an occupier’s deposit. These restrictions outlined in the tenancy agreement are that permission is needed to make alternations to the property and any picture holes, thumbtacks etc must be made good when the tenancy ends and blu tac is the awful, as it tens to leave a greasy mark on the walls.

Christmas Times

We are still working remotely and the bank transfer will be dependent on the bank holidays and the banking system however we are provisionally thinking:

·        Thursday 23^rd December 9.30am – 1.30pm

   Christmas Eve       Essential Maintenance

·        Christmas Day      CLOSED

·        Sunday 26th       CLOSED

·        Bank Holiday Monday   CLOSED

·        Bank Holiday Tuesday 28^th December –Closed

·        Wednesday 29^th December – Essential Maintenance and banking

Thursday  30^th December  – Essential Maintenance and banking

Friday 31^st December  – Essential Maintenance and banking

Bank Holiday Monday 3^rd January 2022 CLOSED

Bank Holiday Tuesday 4th January 2022 CLOSED

Wednesday 5^th January 2022 – With hope normal hours will resume

Although the office will be closed, you are still able to email and tenants will be able to report any maintenance issue using the fixflow system.

We still have a few weeks yet, but I do like to let you know in advance,

😊

Kindest Regards

Michelle ODonnell

Branch Manager

17 Elmbank Street

Glasgow

G2 4PB

0141 221 3990

 

Registration number LARN1903009

VAT : 174415411

SC345735

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