PR activity report for Oct/Nov 2014 May 2012
Press releases/feature articles and comment written and distributed this month November (FEATURE) – Property Reporter - Retaliation of Eviction feature 12th November - Landlord Action supports move to issue accelerated possession claims online November (FEATURE) – The Negotiator - Retaining clients through problematic tenancies 26th November - Revenge eviction…or a tenant seeking revenge? NOT SENT 27th November - Landlord Action Scoops Top Supplier at Landlord & Buy-to-Let Awards 28th November - Landlord Action delighted as ‘Revenge Eviction’ Bill defeated
Other Activity -
BBC Your Money looking for case study – couldn’t help on this occasion Interview arranged with Share Radio in London Comment on Revenge Eviction for freelance journalist Kaitlyn Mattson
Amended Blogs -
The Outlook for 2015 – Belvoir Rent Arrears on the Slide High Court Enforcement Companies
Press cuttings Press Cuttings from October - November 2014 Date Publication Title November Residential Property Revenge Evictions Investor November The Negotiator Prevention is better than cure
AVE Circulation: 11000 AVE:£1512.09 Circulation: 10000 AVE:£1489.15 Circulation: 5000 AVE:£859.32 N/A
November
Solicitors Journal
Avoiding Tenants from Hell
6th November
Property Industry Eye
13th November
PropertyWire
More tenants will put in vexatious complaints if Bill becomes law – warning UK landlords can expect speedier eviction process for rogue tenants
13th November
Property118
Government move to issue accelerated possession claims online
N/A
12th November 13th November
LandlordZone
Accelerated Possession claims to go online Government launches new online Section 21 eviction service
N/A
13th
London Housing News
Support for move to issue
Circulation: 2714
Property Reporter
N/A
N/A
November
(Main) accelerated possession claims South East Housing online News South West Housing News North West Housing News North East & Yorks Housing News Eastern Housing News
AVE:£673.90
13th November
National Housing News (Main)
Circulation: 19000 AVE:£381.8
14th November 14th November
Property Industry Eye
Support for move to issue accelerated possession claims online First step launched in putting Section 21 evictions online Landlord Action takes credit for Section 21 initiative
18th November
PropertyDrum (Jungle Drum Newsletter)
Labour’s housing manifesto fails to impress tenants
N/A
19th November
Choices Today
Move to issue accelerated possession claims online supported by eviction firm
N/A
18th November 28th November
BuytoLet.com
Landlords can now evict rogue tenants quickly Landlord Action comes out as top supplier at Landlord & Buy-to-Let Awards
N/A
28th November
Property Tribes
Landlord Action delighted as "revenge eviction" Bill defeated.
N/A
Letting Agent Today
Property Reporter
Total Number of Cuttings Total AVE
N/A N/A
N/A
17 £4,916.26
Total of cuttings: 17 Total AVE (advertising equivalent) £4,916.26 Please note that we cannot provide the advertising equivalent for online coverage, or circulations figures. This is just for print coverage.
More tenants will put in vexatious complaints if Bill becomes law – warning Written by: ROSALIND RENSHAW | NOVEMBER 6, 2014 If a new Bill becomes law, then the number of tenants putting in vexatious complaints to hold up eviction proceedings will rise. The warning has come from Paul Shamplina, of Landlord Action. But Lib Dem MP Sarah Teather, who is introducing the Bill, says that tenants who “try it on” by claiming retaliatory evictions will not get very far. Teather is introducing the measure seeking to stamp out revenge evictions – where a landlord gets rid of a tenant who asks for a repair or complains about the state of a property. The Tenancies (Reform) Bill has the backing of the Government. Its second reading is due on November 28. It would prevent landlords using Section 21 powers within six months of when a tenant has asked for a repair or made a complaint. Teather emphasised: “When a complaint is received, a local authority will contact the landlord to resolve the problem, only serving a statutory notice if the landlord is clearly at fault and there is a serious issue with the property. “So if an environmental health officer finds that the tenant has caused the problem or has not given the landlord access to the property, they will not be protected. “Landlords will still be able to evict tenants who are in rent arrears and exemptions will also apply where a landlord is selling the property. “In short, law-abiding landlords will still be able to evict as before, and they will also benefit from tenants who feel more confident to report issues as they arise.” Teather claimed that 14% of families renting in London had been hit with revenge evictions in the last year alone. However, landlord organisations such as the Residential Landlords Association say that revenge evictions are not common, and are concerned that bad tenants could spin out eviction proceedings by complaining about their properties, while not paying rent. A cross-party Parliamentary Group on the private rented sector is currently inquiring into revenge evictions. Among those who have given evidence are Shamplina, and David Cox, managing director of ARLA. Cox said that numbers of revenge evictions are “much, much” lower than the 213,000 a year often quoted. He put the number at 7,120 a year – but said this was still unacceptable. Shamplina accused Shelter of “engaging in a lot of guesswork” and said that the problem of tenants putting in vexatious complaints to hold up eviction proceedings would be exacerbated if the Teather Bill became law.
UK landlords can expect speedier eviction process f or rogue tenants THURSDAY, 13 NOVEMB E R 2014
A new service launched by the UK Government enables landlords to start the process of evicting tenants using the Section 21 accelerated possession procedure by filling out an online form. This was an idea which was first put forward by leading tenant eviction firm Landlord Action, as part of its role on a Government Think Tank to help speed up evictions. It is the first step towards making the service completely digital in the future. Landlord Action took up the idea with the Department for Communities and Local Government of making Section 21 accelerated possessions easier for landlords to issue and its experience found that too many landlords, who did not have legal representation, were making mistakes in their applications to court, which then lead to subsequent delays. It was suggested that accelerated Section 21 applications should be issued online, just like the Section 8 PCOL service (Possession Claim Online). As a result the HM Courts and Tribunals Service and the Ministry of Justice Digital Services have worked together to improve the way an accelerated possession claim can be made. As a result, for the first time, it is possible to complete the N5b form online, then print it out and post along with the tenancy agreement and fee. A system which Landlord Actions says should be much easier for landlords to understand. ‘We are always campaigning to make life easier for landlords, especially through the distressing time of trying to regain possession of a property. We are pleased that the Government has listened to our initial ideas regarding making accelerated possession forms available online, as I really feel it will make a difference,’ said Paul Shamplina, founder of Landlord Action. The new service is designed so that everyone can use it, with complex legal points explained in plain English and questions that are designed to gather information relevant to each landlord's situation as well as check their eligibility for making such a claim. ‘Our solicitors are dealing with hundreds of claims for landlords seeking possession through Section 8 and Section 21 accelerated claims, where landlords don't want the hassle of form filling or the risk of getting it wrong,’ explained Shamplina. ‘This new online N5b form will go a long way in helping to prevent the most common mistakes landlords make, which often cause costly delays. We also hope that landlords will be empowered by the knowledge that improvements are underway to make possessions quicker and easier in the future,’ he added.
Government move to issue accelerated possession claims online
From today, the Government has launched a new service which enables landlords to start the process of evicting tenants using the Section 21 accelerated possession claims online. This was an idea which was first put forward by Landlord Action, as part of our role on a Government Think Tank to help speed up evictions. It is the first step towards making the service completely digital in the future. We first presented to the DCLG (Department for Communities & Local Government), the idea of making Section 21 accelerated possessions easier for landlords to issue. Many landlords, who did not have legal representation, were making mistakes in their applications to court, which then lead to subsequent delays. It was suggested that accelerated Section 21 applications should be issued online, just like the Section 8 PCOL service (Possession Claim Online). As a result, HMCTS (HM Courts & Tribunals Service) and MoJ (Minitry of Justice) Digital Services have worked together to improve the way an accelerated possession claim can be made, and for the first time, it is possible to complete the N5b form online, then print it out and post along with the tenancy agreement and fee. A system which should be much easier for landlords to understand. We are always campaigning to make life easier for landlords, especially through the distressing time of trying to regain possession of a property. We are pleased that the Government has listened to our initial ideas regarding making accelerated possession forms available online, as I really feel it will make a difference. The new service is designed so that everyone can use it, with complex legal points explained in plain English and questions that are designed to gather information relevant to each landlord’s situation as well as check their eligibility for making such a claim. Our solicitors are dealing with hundreds of claims for landlords seeking possession through Section 8 and Section 21 accelerated claims, where landlords don’t want the hassle of form filling or the risk of getting it wrong. This new online N5b form will go a long way in helping to prevent the most common mistakes landlords make, which often cause costly delays. We also hope that landlords will be empowered by the knowledge that improvements are underway to make possessions quicker and easier in the future.
Accelerated Possession claims to go online From today, Wednesday 12 November, the Government is launching a service which will enable landlords to start the process of evicting tenants using the Section 21 accelerated possession procedure by filling out an online form. This was an idea which was put forward by leading tenant eviction firm Landlord Action, as part of its role on a Government Think Tank to help speed up evictions. This is the first step towards making the service completely digital in the future. Landlord Action presented the idea of making Section 21 accelerated possessions easier for landlords to issue to the DCLG (Department for Communities & Local Government). Landlord Action’s experience has found that too many landlords, who did not have legal representation, are making mistakes in their applications to court, which then leads to subsequent and substantial delays. It was suggested that accelerated Section 21 applications should be issued online, as is the case now with the Section 8 PCOL service (Possession Claim Online). As a result, HMCTS (HM Courts & Tribunals Service) and MoJ (Minitry of Justice) Digital Services have been working to improve the way an accelerated possession claim can be made, and for the first time, it is possible to complete the N5b form online. Then it can be printed out and posted, along with the court fee. This will be a system which Landlord Actions says should be much easier for landlords to understand. Paul Shamplina, Founder of Landlord Action, says “We are always campaigning to make life easier for landlords, especially through the distressing time of trying to regain possession of a property. “We are pleased that the Government has listened to our initial ideas regarding making accelerated possession forms available online, as I really feel it will make a difference.” The new service is designed so that everyone can use it, with complex legal points explained in plain English and questions that are designed to gather information relevant to each landlord’s situation as well as check their eligibility for making such a claim. “Our solicitors are dealing with hundreds of claims for landlords seeking possession through Section 8 and Section 21 accelerated claims, where landlords don’t want the hassle of form filling or the risk of getting it wrong. This new online N5b form will go a long way in helping to prevent the most common mistakes landlords make, which often cause costly delays. We also hope that landlords will be empowered by the knowledge that improvements are under way to make possessions quicker and easier in the future” concluded Mr Shamplina. www.gov.uk/evicting-tenants/accelerated-possession www.landlordaction.co.uk
Government launches new online Section 21 eviction service Warren Lewis13 Nov 2014
Landlord Action supports move to issue accelerated possession claims online. The Government has launched a new service which enables landlords to start the process of evicting tenants using the Section 21 accelerated possession procedure by filling out an online form. This was an idea which was first put forward by leading tenant eviction firm Landlord Action, as part of its role on a Government Think Tank to help speed up evictions. It is the first step towards making the service completely digital in the future. Landlord Action first presented to the DCLG (Department for Communities & Local Government), the idea of making Section 21 accelerated possessions easier for landlords to issue. Their experience found that too many landlords, who did not have legal representation, were making mistakes in their applications to court, which then lead to subsequent delays. It was suggested that accelerated Section 21 applications should be issued online, just like the Section 8 PCOL service (Possession Claim Online). As a result, HMCTS (HM Courts & Tribunals Service) and MoJ (Minitry of Justice) Digital Services have worked together to improve the way an accelerated possession claim can be made, and for the first time, it is possible to complete the N5b form online, then print i t out and post along with the tenancy agreement and fee. A system which Landlord Actions says should be much easier for landlords to understand. Paul Shamplina, Founder of Landlord Action, says “We are always campaigning to make life easier for landlords, especially through the distressing time of trying to regain possession of a property. We are pleased that the Government has listened to our initial ideas regarding making accelerated possession forms available online, as I really feel it will make a difference.” The new service is designed so that everyone can use it, with complex legal points explained in plain English and questions that are designed to gather information relevant to each landlord’s situation as well as check their eligibility for making such a claim. Mr Shamplina concluded: “Our solicitors are dealing with hundreds of claims for landlords seeking possession through Section 8 and Section 21 accelerated claims, where landlords don’t want the hassle of form filling or the risk of getting it wrong. This new online N5b form will go a long way in helping to prevent the most common mistakes landlords make, which often cause costly delays. We also hope that landlords will be empowered by the knowledge that improvements are underway to make possessions quicker and easier in the future”
First step launched in putting Section 21 evictions online Written by: ROSALIND RENSHAW | NOVEMBER 14, 2014 A new service has launched which allows agents and landlords to start the process of evicting tenants using the Section 21 procedure by filling out an online form. The idea was suggested to the Government by tenant eviction firm Landlord Action, as a way of speeding up the process and preventing mistakes in the paperwork. It is the first step towards making the service completely digital in the future. However, while it is possible to complete the N5b form online, it then has to be printed out and posted along with the tenancy agreement and fee. The advantage of the new service is that it is designed so that everyone can use it, with complex legal points explained in plain English and questions that are designed to gather information relevant to each situation as well as check eligibility for making the claim. Paul Shamplina, founder of Landlord Action, said: “This new online N5b form will go a long way in helping to prevent the most common mistakes, which often cause costly delays.�
Landlord Action takes credit for Section 21 initiative Friday, 14 November 2014Written by Graham Norwood
Landlord Action has welcomed a new government initiative enabling landlords to start the process of evicting tenants using the Section 21 accelerated possession procedure by filling out an online form - and even says it came up with the idea. Landlord Action first presented to the Department for Communities & Local Government the idea of making Section 21 accelerated possessions easier for landlords to issue, when it served on a government think tank looking at the issue. It was suggested that accelerated Section 21 applications should be issued online, just like the current Section 8 Possession Claim Online service. As a result, HM Courts & Tribunals Service and the Ministry of Justice have worked together to permit the online form completion which can then printed out and post along with the tenancy agreement and fee. “We’re always campaigning to make life easier for landlords, especially through the distressing time of trying to regain possession of a property. The new service is designed so that everyone can use it, with complex legal points explained in plain English” says Landlord Action founder Paul Shamplina. “Our solicitors are dealing with hundreds of claims for landlords seeking possession through Section 8 and Section 21 accelerated claims, where landlords don’t want the hassle of form filling or the risk of getting it wrong. This new online N5b form will go a long way in helping to prevent common mistakes” he claims.
JUNGLEdrum News Labour’s housing manifesto fails to impress tenants Labour’s housing plans will fail to solve the UK’s property crisis according to many tenants, a new survey shows. Fresh research by the National Landlords Association (NLA) shows that 62 per cent of tenants remain unsure whether any of the political parties will be able to tackle the growing housing crisis in this country, based on the housing manifestos released so far. The findings will prove particularly disappointing for Labour and Liberal Democrats, which are the only parties so far to clearly outline their housing manifestos. Labour plans to reform private renting with a raft of proposals, including default three-year tenancies and a ban on letting agent fees. The Liberal Democrats have vowed to end the so called practice of retaliatory evictions, introducing the Tenancies (Reform) Bill which is currently making its way through Parliament. Richard Price (left), Executive Director of the UK Association of Letting Agents (UKALA) said: “These findings should serve as a wake up call for all the political parties and specifically Labour. The collective concerns voiced by the industry over their plans to reform private housing have been swatted away by the party, and this now indicates that their approach hasn’t really won any support from tenants either. “There are legitimate business costs that letting agents will look to recover from tenants, but these clearly vary from agent to agent and some examples are far too high. What’s important is that fees are fair and transparent from the outset and that the tenant is aware of what they will have to pay, when and why. “You can ban a fee but you can’t ban a cost, so while outlawing agent fees sounds like a simple solution, the difference will inevitably have to be recovered elsewhere – most likely as higher rents – and it won’t solve the issue.” Of the housing plans put forward, 13 per cent more tenants prefer Labour’s proposals. Eight per cent of tenants think UKIP are best placed to improve housing, seven per cent say Conservative, three per cent think the Green Party have the right approach, and just two per cent say Liberal Democrat.
Carolyn Uphill (right), Chairman at the NLA, commented: “These findings suggest that as a vote-winning strategy, pitching to renters is falling flat on its face. Tenants are at best undecided, or worse, have no faith in the ability of any of the parties to improve private housing across the UK. “Labour and the Liberal Democrats thought they had established a housing manifesto to win favour with Britain’s 9 million renters but it seems that their view of private housing simply doesn’t chime with the experience of the majority of tenants. “It’s easier to attack an unpopular stereotype than deal with the complex reality of how housing is changing in the UK today. We don’t need one-sided electioneering, we need the commitment towards a fair balance between landlords, tenants and agents, and a genuine partnership between the market, regulators and Government.” Meanwhile, the Home Secretary, Theresa May, has met with FCC Paragon, a service provider to the Private Rented Sector (PRS), to discuss plans to tackle immigration in the UK, and listen to their concerns over the ‘Right to Rent’ pilot scheme which is due to start in the West Midlands from 1 st December 2014. The Government is keen to explore the possibility of working with experts in the PRS to check tenants’ validity, ensuring they are entitled to be working and living in the UK. Janie Gaston (left), Operations Director at FCC Paragon, said: Tenant referencing is our core business and our experience in this field enables us to clearly identify what measures should be implemented to really make a difference, without putting the onus on landlords and letting agents. We are grateful that we have finally had the opportunity to air our thoughts directly with the Home Secretary, who was encouraged by the depth of research we have carried out, the results of our initial trial and the ideas we presented that would support the Government in creating a fairer system.” Ahead of the first pilot scheme on immigration rights, which will make landlords in the West Midlands responsible for checking the immigration status of prospective tenants, Ms Gaston expressed her reservations to Rt Hon Theresa May. She said “We feel this is going to be very onerous for landlords and letting agents alike, and is unlikely to tackle immigration problems as it appears to be a very complicated and time consuming process, which we feel many landlords will struggle to understand. The directions are not clear enough and appear somewhat contradictory.” Accelerated possession claims The Government has launched a new service which enables landlords to start the process of evicting tenants using the Section 21 accelerated possession procedure by filling out an online form. This was an idea
which was first put forward by tenant eviction firm Landlord Action, as part of its role on a Government Think Tank to help speed up evictions. It is the first step towards making the service completely digital in the future. Paul Shamplina (right), Founder of Landlord Action, said: “We are always campaigning to make life easier for landlords, especially through the distressing time of trying to regain possession of a property. We are pleased that the Government has listened to our initial ideas regarding making accelerated possession forms available online, as I really feel it will make a difference.�
Move to issue accelerated possession claims online supported by eviction firm Wednesday 19th November 2014 The government recently launched a service enabling landlords to start the process of evicting tenants using the Section 21 accelerated possession procedure by filling out an online form. Specialist tenant eviction firm Landlord Action has supported the new system and says that it came up with the idea as part of its role in a government think tank. The firm presented its ideas to the DCLG (Department for Communities & Local Government) after finding that too many landlords, who did not have legal representation, were making mistakes in their applications to court, which then lead to subsequent delays. As a result, HMCTS (HM Courts & Tribunals Service) and MoJ (Minitry of Justice) Digital Services have worked together to improve the way an accelerated possession claim can be made, and for the first time, it is possible to complete the N5b form online. Landlords can then print it out and post along with the tenancy agreement and fee. A system which Landlord Action says should be much easier for landlords to understand and implement. Paul Shamplina, Founder of Landlord Action, commented: “We are always campaigning to make life easier for landlords, especially through the distressing time of trying to regain possession of a property. We are pleased that the Government has listened to our initial ideas regarding making accelerated possession forms available online, as I really feel it will make a difference.” “Our solicitors are dealing with hundreds of claims for landlords seeking possession through Section 8 and Section 21 accelerated claims, where landlords don’t want the hassle of form filling or the risk of getting it wrong. This new online N5b form will go a long way in helping to prevent the most common mistakes landlords make, which often cause costly delays. We also hope that landlords will be empowered by the knowledge that improvements are underway to make possessions quicker and easier in the future,” he concluded.
Landlords can now evict rogue tenants quickly 18th November 2014 By Emily
Mansfield
Private landlords will now be able to evict rogue tenants even faster as the UK government introduces a new online service. Landlords will be able to evict tenants under the Section 21 accelerated possession procedure by filling out a form online. A proposal for the new service was brought forward to the government by tenant eviction firm Landlord Action, in a bid to help speed up the eviction of tenants. Landlord Action thought of the idea with the Department for Communities and Local Government to make Section 21 accelerated possessions easier for buy-to-let owners to issue. According to the firm, it discovered that many landlords, who didn’t have any legal representation, were making mistakes on their court application which slowed the eviction process down. The new service means landlords can use the application form to submit a Section 21 accelerated possession order, similar to a Section 8 PCOL service (possession claim form). Now, it is possible to complete an N5b form online, then print it out and post along with the tenancy agreement and fee. Founder of Landlord Action, Paul Shamplina said: “We are always campaigning to make life easier for landlords, especially through the distressing time of trying to regain possession of a property. We are pleased that the Government has listened to our initial ideas regarding making accelerated possession forms available online, as I really feel it will make a difference.” As well as the convenience of filling out the form online, the new service is designed to explain complex legal points, as well as a range of questions that gather information about the landlord’s situation and to check their eligibility for making a claim.
Landlord Action comes out as top supplier at Landlord & Buy-to-Let Awards
Warren Lewis 28 Nov 2014 Landlord Action has won top spot in the Legal Supplier category at this years Landlord and Buy -to-Let Awards a year after gaining law firm status as part of their drive to bolster standards within the industry. The awards, which took place at Stoneleigh Park in Coventry were presented by TV's Ground Force star Tommy Walsh. Winners for the forth time, Landlord Action was praised for its contribution to the industry and its leading stance on many landlord related matters. Having regularly campaigned for landlords’ rights, Landlord Action is well known amongst the industry as a champion for landlords, previously fighting against unfair interest rate rises and criminalising squatting. This, coupled with their pioneering decision to become regulated by the Solici tors Regulation Authority, helped scoop them this year’s award. Paul Shamplina, Founder of Landlord Action, attended the awards was delighted: “This really has been an incredibly busy year for Landlord Action. The team has worked extremely hard to adapt to the company changes whilst ensuring we continue to provide an award winning service, and it looks like we have achieved this, so I am extremely proud. We have even more planned for next year, as we evolve our service to meet the ever changing needs of the fast paced buy-to-let industry and further support our network of landlords.”
Tenancies (Reform) Bill on retaliatory (revenge) evictions fails Post: #1
RE: Landlord Action delighted as "revenge eviction" Bill defeated. More industry reaction ... Paul Shamplina of Landlord Action has commented: The Tenancies Reform Bill presented by Liberal Democrat MP Sarah Teather and aimed at stopping 'revenge evictions’, has failed to secure enough votes to pass in Parliament, much to the relief of Landlord Action and other industry organisations. Following the result, Founder of Landlord Action, Paul Shamplina, who gave evidence at the end of October to the All Party Parliamentary Group, commented “This is great news for landlords. Whilst I fully agree that tenants need to be protected from the small minority of rogue landlords, there simply wasn’t enough evidence to support the need for more legislation, which would have impacted a large number of good, reliable landlords.” “In the 24 years I have been dealing with problem tenants, I have only ever heard of the words “retaliation/revenge eviction” in the last 18 months. Section 21 gives a landlord an automatic right of possession without having to give any grounds (reason) once the fixed term has expired. Shelter’s figures that 213,000 tenants have been served Section 21 notices as revenge evictions must be guess work because without surveying every landlord, it is hard to understand how they have reached this figure.” A recent survey of landlords that had instructed Landlord Action to serve Section 21 notices revealed that only 2% had served a section 21 because the tenant had asked for repairs. 28% served notice because there were rent arrears and 15% needed the property back so they could sell, 13% needed to move back into the property, 11% wanted to re-let to another tenant to obtain more rent and 8% said the tenant wanted to be evicted so they could be re-housed by the Council. Paul Shamplina continues “passing this Bill would have created a loophole for tenants to remain in properties for longer, lead to further rental arrears problems, stretched the resources of local authorities even further and lead to longer delays at court. Yes, we want to make sure tenants live in a safe and pleasant environment, but preventing the proper use of Section 21 is not the way to do this and would simply tarnish good landlords with a bad name.” We at Landlord Action would like to acknowledge the hard work carried out by RLA in relation to this Bill.