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    Everything you need to know about break clauses, Part 1 A Break clauses is part of a lease that allows either a  landlord or tenant  to end the lease ahead of time. If your contract doesn’t include this clause, then you can’t end the tenancy early unless your  landlord  agrees to it. If you decide just to walk away, you’ll still be liable for the rest of the rent to the end of the contract period. It is essential that you as the tenant must satisfy many conditions for the break clause to take effect. Here are the top things you have to look out for: Form and serving the notice Now the break clause may state the exact manner in which the notice must be served and insist on exact criteria regarding the method of service. Failure to do this will invalidate the whole process. Therefore it is essential that you check the correct names and addresses of the landlord through the Land Registry and Companies House. Also check the service provisions in the lease and w

    All about Mould in Rented Property. What to do, if you found Mould in Rented Property? Mould  in Rented Property should never be taken lightly, it’s a  serious problem  because of the potential health risks associated with mould spores. If you have damp and mould you are more likely to have respiratory problems,  respiratory infections, allergies or asthma. Damp and mould can also affect the immune system. Moulds produce allergens (substances that can cause an allergic reaction), irritants and, sometimes, toxic substances. Inhaling or touching mould spores may cause an allergic reaction, such as sneezing, runny nose, red eyes and skin rash. Mould in Rented Property can also cause asthma attacks.F Babies & children,elderly people,those with existing skin problems, such as eczema,those with respiratory problems, such as allergies and asthma,those with a weakened immune system should stay away from  damp and mould. If your rented property has mould you will need

    Tenancy deposit protection schemes and deposit refund disputes In this blog we will cover tenancy deposit schemes and deposit refund disputes. Together they should give you good idea on how deposit protection and refund works. We will finish with external links which give in depth information which is not possible to cover in this blog. Tenancy Deposit Schemes and your deposit. Your landlord  must  put your deposit in a government-backed tenancy deposit scheme (TDP) if you rent your home on an assured short hold tenancy that started after 6 April 2007. Once your deposit is received your landlord has to tell you within 30 days: 1)      How your deposit is protected. 2)      How much deposit you have paid. 3)      The name and contact details of the tenancy deposit protection (TDP) scheme and its dispute resolution service 4)      How to apply to get the deposit back 5)      What to do if there’s a dispute over the deposit 6)      What to do if

    A TO Z on how to get most out of your property viewing. Viewing a property for renting is an exciting time – new house, new area, new neighbours, new school for kids and more – there is an instant emotional reaction to any property you view but it’s important to balance emotion with caution. Why should you be cautious? English Housing Survey shows that  35% of properties in the private rented sector are rated “non-decent” : nearly a fifth were judged to contain a hazard posing a serious danger to the health and safety of renters. Shelter’s research showed that  over 60% of renters  have experienced at least one of the following problems in their home over the past 12 months: damp, mould, leaking roofs or windows, electrical hazards, animal infestations and gas leaks.  One in ten private renters claim that their  health has been affected  by problems with their property which their landlord has not dealt with. Few minutes during your viewing is only time you g

    Here is why UK tenants should rate rental property There are now almost 9 million private renters, and for the first time since the 1960s there are now more private renters than social housing tenants. The age profile of private tenants is getting older as “Generation Rent” remains unable to get on the property ladder: half of all private tenants are now over 35 and almost a third of them are families with children. Renting is going to be a part of life as a third of all private tenants say that they expect to be renting for the rest of their lives. Here are some concerning pieces of information: 1)      English Housing Survey which shows that 35% of properties in the private rented sector are rated “non-decent” 2)      Shelter’s research showed that over 60% of renters have experienced at least one of the following problems in their home over the past 12 months: damp, mould, leaking roofs or windows, electrical hazards, animal infestations and gas leaks. One in ten

    London’s Housing crisis in numbers: Rent is up to 75% of Income…Check how bad is your borough. London house rents are pushing out people the city needs most. As fellow Londoners we want to hear what you feel…Is the situation getting ‘Better’ or ‘Worse’? If we happen to reach experts, please do share your views on – a) How we ended up in this situation and how do we get out of it? b)Why do you think we are unable to build enough houses in London? c) Foreigners buying new builds desperately needed by Londoners? d) Are landlords ripping tenants off? Is rent regulation a solution? Check our Facebook post to join the discussion or comment here.

  Why should you follow a house viewing checklist? English Housing Survey shows that 35% of properties in the private rented sector are rated “non-decent”: nearly a fifth were judged to contain a hazard posing a serious danger to the health and safety of renters. Shelter’s research showed that over 60% of renters have experienced at least one of the following problems in their home over the past 12 months: damp,  mould , leaking roofs or windows, electrical hazards, animal infestations and gas leaks. One in ten private renters claim that their health has been affected by problems with their property which their landlord has not dealt with. Few minutes during your viewing is only time you get to find out if the property you may rent will not have problems described above. Our   house viewing checklist   is prepared after analyzing experiences of thousands of property reviews. Following a house viewing checklist increases the probability of you finding th

  Definition of Tenancy deposit scheme dispute: All deposits in the UK must be protected under a tenancy deposit scheme. Details about which scheme you deposit is protected should be provided by your landlord within 30 days of start of tenancy. Failure to provide you these details can result in  landlord  being fined up to 3 times the deposit amount and it can be more difficult for them to end your tenancy. Tenancy deposit schemes adjudicators play key role in resolving tenancy deposit scheme disputes. Your tenancy deposit should usually be refunded within 10 days if you are an  assured shorthold tenant . Most private renters have this type of tenancy. If a landlord wants to make a deduction he/she should write to the tenant explaining the reasons of deductions and submit supporting evidence. The undisputed amount is refunded and disputed amount is held with deposit protection scheme. If a tenant does not agree with the amount of deduction he/she can raise a tena

  How to upload a property review on Asktenants.co.uk Visit Asktenants.co.uk and click  Register . An online form opens up where you can input your property address and tenancy duration. Once you have entered the details just create account. You will get an email to verify your email address. Once you click “verify” you are go straight to the page where you enter your  property reviews . What is the structure of our property review process? Our property review consist of 14 multiple choice questions. These questions are designed after meticulous research about property maintenance issues faced by tenants in the UK. Depending on how you answered each question the rental property gets a score out of 10. The score is a part of your property review. You can also enter comments and upload pictures to support your property review. The entire process takes about 90 seconds to 10 minutes depending on amount of text you wish to write. Your property review once submitted stays onli

    Who is responsible for mould – tenant or landlord? One of the most common question we get asked is who is responsible for mould tenant or landlord? We have done our research and found useful legal advice by LBC’s resident Barrister Daniel Barnett. Go to middle section of this link to hear the conversation of a caller with Barrister Daniel Barnett.

    What are your views around building in Greenbelt areas? What your views around building in Greenbelt areas? The libertarian think tank the Adam Smith Institute has argued that if a strip merely half a mile wide were shaved off the London green belt, 800,000 new homes could be built.

    CAN EMPTY HOUSES SOLVE LONDON HOUSING CRISIS? There have been several mentions on empty housing on our facebook page. We have dived into the numbers and here are the facts – 1) There are 279,000 empty properties in England – with 29,000 long term empty in London. 2) Southeast including London needs 800,000 houses by 2021. 3) The empty houses situation is getting significantly better in London in last 10 years. The number of genuinely long term empty homes is only a tiny drop in the ocean of the nation’s housing stock and, even if every one of those empty homes were filled with happy, smiling tenants tomorrow, it would only meet a small fraction of Britain’s housing needs.

    Will private tenants be the ones who pay for Buy to Let Taxation changes? Will the proposed changes in Buy to Let taxation and stamp duty provide more opportunities to first time buyers and ease the pressure on property prices? Buy to let investments may no longer be an attractive investment option as a result of these tax changes. In his Autumn Statement, the Chancellor said: ‘Frankly, people buying a home to let should not be squeezing out families who can’t afford a home to buy.’ We however are worried that Landlords may simply pass the increases in stamp duty and taxation to tenants in the form of increased rents, which is possible in a market where demand outweighs supply.

1-page property viewing checklist – MUST READ if you have a property viewing.     On popular demand we have put together 1-page checklist you can take along for a property viewing….MUST READ if you planning to view a property!

Revealed: housebuilders sitting on 600,000 plots of land says Guardian.     Developers sitting on 600,000 plots of land at a time when we are in housing CRISES? Are the firms across the country sitting on land waiting for it to accumulate in value and not building on it? Labour proposed use-it-or-lose-it which should be reconsidered given the fact we are in middle of HOUSING CRISES in the UK!

    Mould Issues – UK’s leading mould expert talks to Asktenants.co.uk Why mould issues should not be taken lightly? Mould issues in rented properties are potentially troubling millions of tenants. Tenants have been rating rental properties on Asktenants.co.uk for over a year, along with reviews we ask tenants to complete a small survey which helps us identify key issues tenants are facing. Based on sample data of over thousand properties rated on Asktenants.co.uk a third have mould issues making mould the top issue tenants are facing. Shelter’s report suggests even higher percentage of tenants facing mould issues. Expanding the survey results to over 9 million rental properties in the UK, 3 million rental properties in the UK can have mould issues. In this blog you’ll find out: What are a mould issues? What are the causes of mould issues? What are the health impacts of mould issues? Expert comments and Q & A with UK’s leading mould expert about mould issues. Legal