Shropshire firm to host free webinar to help landlords

The online seminar is free and will run on Wednesday, April 10, 2024, from 6.30pm-8pm.

Slawek Zalewski, Head of Lettings at Samuel Wood, said that landlords could face a potential “compliance catastrophe” and that stats for landlords who were making mistakes without knowing the hazards were alarming.

Slawek said he understood that being a landlord could be hard work and with new reforms coming in this year, it wasn’t getting any easier for current or would-be landlords.

“At Samuel Wood we see so many landlords falling foul of compliance simply through lack of knowledge,” he said.

“As an ARLA (Association of Residential Lettings Agents) accredited agent, we believe it is our responsibility to educate and inform landlords across Shropshire and help them stay abreast of changes enforced by Government.

“Obviously, we are on top of these changes and help all our current landlords who rent their properties through us to stay compliant. But we want to ensure that those who are going it alone have the opportunity to become more educated on the ways in which they could be making errors,” he added.

Slawek warned that some of these errors could result in hefty fines, but landlords could, in the worst-case scenarios, face banning orders, prosecution and even imprisonment for failing to comply with some of the more serious laws.

New legislation includes the Renters Reform Bill, and while no official date has been confirmed by the government, estimates are that it may come into law on 1 October 2024. Once it becomes law, it will initially only affect new tenancies.

Louise Withers, Samuel Wood Business Development Manager added that with increased legislative change, comes increased attention from local authorities which can pursue and punish non-compliant landlords.

“All tenants have the right to approach their Local Authority and request an inspection of their property be carried out under the Housing Health and Safety Rating System (HHSRS). This risk-based assessment tool checks for hazards in the homes that could affect the health of the occupants,” she said.

“For landlords this assessment could uncover up to 29 potential problems, and ironically, it is the private residential sector which has the poorest housing standards on record. At Samuel Wood we want to support and inform landlords how to stay safe and compliant while enjoying the benefits of property investment,” she added.

The forthcoming webinar on April 10 will address the powers of the HHSRS and what landlords must do to stay on the right side of the law.

A panel of experts will be covering the following key topics:

⦁ Housing Market Overview – insights on house prices, trends, and fluctuations in the marketplace and future projections.

⦁ An update on the Renter’s Reform Bill.

⦁ Learn more about the HHSRS – what are the 29 hazards that Local Authorities can assess using this tool?

⦁ How to avoid fines, banning orders and much more …

⦁ Live questions and answers.

“Business is certainly brisk with the level of demand continuing to outstrip supply. While this is great news for landlords who are realising the benefit of their property investment, tenants and applicants are desperate to find accommodation,” said Louise.

“We need more landlords to come forward to help boost the amount of stock coming onto the market and if we can help support prospective landlords, we will,” she added.

Participants are asked to register for the free webinar ahead by visiting https://shropshirelandlordswebinar.co.uk/free-ticket , emailing expertadvice@samuelwood.co.uk or calling 01743 243000.